The story of the First gas regiment

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THE STORY

OF THE FIRST GAS

REGIMENT

BY

JAMES THAYER ADDISON

REGIMENTAL CHAPLAIN
WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

BOSTON AND NEW YORK

HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY

(Xtt Ulitec^iDe pcej^jtf CambtiDoe

1919

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COPYRIGHT, I9I9, BY JAMBS THAYER ADDISON
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

3.^ <^

AUG 2! 1919

©CI.A53 58 9

TO

THE HONORED MEMORY

OF OUR COMRADES

WHO DIED THAT WE MIGHT LIVE

IN A NEW WORLD

CONTENTS

I. Beginnings i

II. The Organization of the First and

Second Battalions 9

III. The Overseas Training of the First and

Second Battalions 21

IV. The First Actions 40
V. The First Battalion in the Chateau-
Thierry Offensive 55

VI. The Stabilized Fronts in July and

August 79

VII. The St. Mihiel Operation 115

VIII. The Argonne-Meuse Operation 133

IX. Last Days 186

X. The Third and Fourth Battalions 200

XI. Conclusion 205

Appendices ; 209

A. Casualty List

B. Table of Dates

C. Sample "Operation Order"
Sample "Operation Report"

D. Description of Weapons

E. Awards, Citations, and Recommenda-

tions

F. List of Officers and Men

ILLUSTRATIONS

A Smoke Cloud in Action Frontispiece

Colonel Earl J. Atkisson, Commanding

Officer 2

The Colors 12

La Ville-aux-Bois 28

Four-Inch Stokes Trench Mortar 28

Livens Projectors 42

Lieutenant Fleming 42

Projector Discharge at Night 42*

Explosion of Smoke Bomb 62

Lieutenant Joseph T. Hanlon 66

Chateau-Thierry 74

Sunken Road near St. Thibaut 74

Officers of Company C, July, 1918 96

Company A 142

Company B 146

Trenches near "Le MoRT Homme" 152

Nantillois 152

Company C 156

Church at Gercourt 164

Ferme de la Madeleine 164

Company D 170

Company E 174

Company F 178

Medical Detachment 182

X ILLUSTRATIONS

First Battalion Headquarters Detachment,

February, 19 19 186
Second Battalion Headquarters Detach-
ment, February, 1919 190
Regimental Headquarters Detachment,

February, 19 19 194
The Regimental Band 198
Officers of Third and Fourth Battalions 202
Officers of the First Gas Regiment, Febru-
ary, 1919 206
Supply and Headquarters Company, Third

and Fourth Battalions 300

Company G 304

Company H 308

Company I 312

Company K 316

Company L 320

Company M 324

MAPS

British Front 22

Operations of June 19 and Aug. 3, 1918 46

ChAteau-Thierry and Vesle Sectors 58

Luneville and Vosges Sectors 82

Verdun and St. Mihiel Sectors 116

Argonne-Meuse Sector 134

THE STORY OF
THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

THE STORY
OF THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

CHAPTER I

BEGINNINGS

The Magna Carta of the regiment, to which we
trace our origin and all our rights, is General
Order io8 of the War Department, dated August
15, 1 91 7. That order reads as follows:

Under authority conferred by Section 2 of the Act
of Congress "authorizing the President to increase
temporarily the Military Establishment of the United
States," approved May 18, 1917, the President directs
that there be organized for the period of the existing
emergency, the enlisted strength being raised by vol-
untary enlistment or draft, the following special and
technical engineer troops:

A. For each army:

(i) A Gas and Flame Service (one regiment).

This authorization had resulted from a decision
of the General Staff of the American Expedition-
ary Forces to establish a Gas Service and to re-
quire, as part of it, an offensive Gas Regiment.
Such a service was established on September 2 by
General Order 31 of General Headquarters of
the A.E.F. and Colonel Amos A. Fries was ap-

2 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

pointed as its chief. The immediate task of raising
and training this new regiment — to be known
as "The Thirtieth Engineers" ^ — was given to
Captain Earl J. Atkisson, Corps of Engineers,
who was assigned to the regiment on August 30,
and ordered to report to the Commanding Officer
of Camp American University, D.C. With our
leader and our standing thus assured, the remain-
ing needs were for officers, men, equipment, and
information. In order of their availability these
were sought for and found. During the early part
of September arrangements were made whereby
the investigations, experiments, and conclusions
of the Bureau of Mines and the Gas Defense Sec-
tion (then part of the Surgeon General's Depart-
ment) could be utilized, a step which led to the
helpful co5rdination of useful material. Initial
requisitions, furthermore, and full plans of organ-
ization, were prepared in advance to speed the
readiness of the regiment for foreign service.
Lieutenant Harris E. Dexter, of the 20th Engi-
neers, reported to Major Atkisson^ on September
9, and two days later Corporal Eugene P. Welcher,
of the Headquarters Detachment, 20th Engineers,
was detailed for duty as stenographer.

^ From August, 1917, to August, 1918, the name of the regi-
ment was "The Thirtieth Engineers." Thereafter our title was
"The First Gas Regiment."

* Accepted commission as Major, September 25, 1917. .

COLONEL EARL J. ATKISSON
Commanding Officer

BEGINNINGS 3

The quest for personnel began with a search for
officers who were Hkely to have the required skill.
Some were obtained from Engineer training
camps, some from civil life. While this was pro-
ceeding, the nucleus of our enlisted men began
with the formation on October 2 of a Second
Casual Company of the 20th Engineers, then
stationed at Camp American University. These
original 34 men, picked because of their special
training and their desire to see service more excit-
ing than foresting afforded, were moved into
separate barracks and placed under the command
of Lieutenant Malinka. By October 10 they
totaled 59 men. Five days later came at length
the official authority to organize a battalion of
two companies of 250 men each and a Battalion
Headquarters of 24 men, with a commissioned
personnel of 16 officers.^

From then on it became possible to appeal di-
rectly to the public. Letters asking for cooperation
and circulars describing the future regiment were
dispatched to many prominent gas, mechanical,
and chemical engineers, to different gas and chem-
ical associations, and to the large industrial plants
who might have in their employ the men we
needed. Citation of the new authorization and

* First indorsement, W.D., A.G.O., October 15, 1917, to Chief
of Engineers.

4 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

information regarding the men desired was sent
to all of the United States recruiting officers and
district Engineer officers. And, finally, vigorous
publicity work began with the help of 350 news-
papers all over the country. Special articles were
reproduced by syndicates; and few intelligent
Americans were left without an opportunity to
learn about the new "Gas and Flame Regiment"
and the exceptional chances it afforded. This
campaign, conducted without cost to the Govern-
ment, was made possible by the generous cooper-
ation of the press.

Most of the articles make good reading, and
they are worth quoting, even at length, for to
their initial efforts we owe so large a number of
our recruits. As typical of these appeals, we read
in the "Boston Transcript" for October 26:

Washington, October 26. "Only keen, red-blooded
men who are desirous of seeing active service are
wanted for this regiment" — so announces Major
E. J. Atkisson, Corps of Engineers, upon whom has
been placed the duty of organizing the "Hell Fire"
regiment with which to fight the Germans. Officially
the new regiment will not bear this striking title, al-
though it is known officially as the "Gas and Flame
Battalion" of The Thirtieth Engineers at Camp
American University. Like the celebrated Camouflage
Battalion, it is being organized on the cabled request
of Lieutenant-General John J. Pershing for a body of
men to do pioneer work in the front-line trenches in

BEGINNINGS 5

Flanders. The Germans violated all the laws of war
and humanity with their introduction of searing
flames and poison gases into the trenches of the Allies,
and now American genius and patriotism are relied
upon to beat the Hun at his own game. For reasons
which will be suggested later, Army officers are confi-
dent that this can be done.

Major Atkisson, who is forming this unique battal-
ion, is an officer of the Regular Army, a graduate of
West Point and Cornell, who has specialized in elec-
trical and mechanical engineering. For eighteen months
he worked under Sibert on the locks of the Gatun Dam
and is thoroughly familiar with that wonderful piece
of engineering which will carry the name of Sibert for-
ever as high as that of any other man that was associ-
ated in the Panama Canal enterprise. The Major also
has been director of electrical and mechanical engi-
neering in the Engineer School of the Army and thus
is in every way fitted to conduct the operations which
will require a thorough working knowledge of mechan-
ical technique.

The Government is calling for volunteers for the
Gas and Flame Battalion. The immediate need is of
250 privates, 30 chemists, 12 interpreters who speak
French, 12 electrical experts, 24 mechanical experts,
12 explosive experts, 10 gas experts, 6 blacksmiths,
10 steam engineers, 8 carpenters, 8 gas engineers, 6
plumbers, 8 pipe-fitters, 32 chauffeurs, 12 cooks, 8
clerks, 2 mess sergeants, and 2 supply sergeants. All
men must first enlist as privates at $33 a month and
expenses. Men with the necessary experience may be
assigned to special duty and given non-commissioned
ranks at rates of pay ranging from $42 to $96 a month
and expenses, which include food, clothing, medical
attendance, and transportation. Those who enlist will
be eligible immediately for promotion. Many of the

6 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

non-commissioned places will be filled almost immedi-
ately upon entrance to the service, and opportunities
will develop with service. As it is hoped to make this a
volunteer organization, men of the qualifications al-
ready stated, including also automobile repair men,
need not be of the prescribed age for the selective
draft, but may be anywhere between eighteen and
forty years of age. The privilege of enlistment will be
lost by men already called by a local board in the
draft, but men will be drafted from the selected army
to fill the ranks of the Gas and Flame Regiment if
necessary, and presumably drafted men of the classes
named above who would like to be among the pioneers
in the latest development of modern warfare would
be given preference in making the selection.

The "Hell Fire Battalion" offers a real chance for
men to perform active service on the battle front.
They will go to France earlier than men in many other
commands and they will be at the head of the great
offensive which supposedly will open in the spring.
They often will be the vanguard of the attacking forces,
supported by the whole power of the great military
organization behind them, with its thousands of can-
non, and its hundreds of thousands of rifles. The faith
expressed by Army officers of the ability of the United
States to teach the Germans the war game in the use
of their own hellish weapons is based not so much
upon the possible superiority of American over Ger-
man chemists as on the inventiveness of the American
mind in the designing of apparatus for the projection
of gases and of flames, and, above all, upon the in-
exhaustible resources of the United States which will
enable the American troops to make use of an equip-
ment immeasurably better than the Germans can
command. The time has gone by for any ethical dis-
cussion as to the propriety of using gas and flames

BEGINNINGS 7

against the enemy. The Germans started the fiendish
practice and are keeping it up. The American prefer-
ence would incline toward the use of a gas that would
stupefy and not kill or poison, but the Germans have
set the pace and the practical officers of the Army
realize that their fire must be fought with hotter fire.

These forms of advertisement, however, were
not confined to any one section of the country.
Like accounts, for instance, appeared in the
Florida "Times-Union," in the Houston "Chron-
icle," and in the "Engineering News- Record."

Results quickly followed. Beginning with Octo-
ber 19, the stream of recruits was almost con-
tinuous. The first man to enlist directly for The
Thirtieth was F. C. Devlin, who applied for en=
listment at Pittsburgh, enlisted at Washington
Barracks, and reported at Camp American Uni-
versity on October 19. During the next two weeks
21 other recruits had reported. Eleven new officers
had been assigned to the regiment and one at-
tached, making a total of 15 ofificers.
5 During this period of the search for personnel
and its subsequent organization, similar progress,
equally valuable, had been made in technical and
supply work. Captain C. P. Wood, who assumed
his duties September 20, was given charge of the
Engineer work, and began at once to gather all
possible information on the subject of the Gas

8 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Service, from the War College, the Bureau of
Mines, and various other sources. On the basis of
such information, Captain Wood made recom-
mendations for the purchase of equipment and
conducted experiments and tests.

On October 24 the progress of the past month
was celebrated and the new regimental spirit of
The Thirtieth signalized by a "Mess Kit Supper"
and dance given by the men for the members and
friends of the regiment. The supper was given in
the Mess Hall, and the rest of the programme
carried out in the Assembly Room of the Hall of
History building. During the course of the evening
Major Atkisson made a brief address, and was
followed in turn by Captain Wood and Lieutenant
Hall. The regiment had already begun to feel
itself a unit.

CHAPTER II

THE ORGANIZATION OF THE FIRST AND SECOND
BATTALIONS

Company A and Battalion Headquarters were
organized on October i6, and assignment of
officers was at once made. Among the latter were
Lieutenant H. W. Favre and Lieutenant Scott
Trammell, who, in addition to their other duties,
were directed to prepare to take charge of a second
company when the need should arise. The story
of the succeeding month is one of rapid accession
to the numbers of officers and men. On November
3, B Company was formed, with Lieutenant
Favre in command, and nine days later Captain
Gribbel took command of Company A. Little by
little the ranks of the companies were filled, by
transfers from A to B and to A and B from the
Second Casual Company of the 20th Engineers.
By November 16, eight more officers had reported,
and two days later non-commissioned officers for
both companies were appointed. On November
20, 120 men arrived from Fort Slocum, N.Y.
On 'November 28, Regimental Headquarters was
authorized and organized.
. While this building-up process was going on

lo THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

The Thirtieth continued to court and to receive
publicity. A highly colored account of what we
were, or were thought to be, may be read in the
Baltimore "Evening Star" for November 15:

HELL FIRE BATTALION

Washington, November I5. If His Satanic Majesty
happened to drop around at the American University
training camp to-day, he would see the "Hell Fire
Battalion" at work and might blush with envy.

On the War Department records the battalion is
known as the "Gas and Flame Battalion of the Thir-
tieth Regiment Engineers." Throughout the Army
they are known as the "Hell Fire Boys," This name is
literally true. A group of red-blooded Americans, most
of them youths, are daily training in gas and flame
fighting and learning how to make a literal inferno in
return for German "f rightfulness."

Gas and flame fighting is a new wrinkle in the
American Army, but the "Hell Fire Battalion" has
taken to it as the duck takes to water. It is a volunteer
organization. Every man has offered his services.
There is a general rush of engineers to get transfers to
the battalion, for it offers more possibilities of adven-
ture and action than almost any other branch of the
service. The "Hell Fire Battalion" is going "over
there" within a short time. To-day they are preparing
for the trip. Full equipment has been issued, and they
expect to see action as soon as they arrive. There will
be no long period in training camps for the "Hell Fire
Boys." They will go immediately to the front, where
they will train under actual war conditions with
French and British "gassers." Thousands of dollars
have been spent in research work for the "Hell Fire

ORGANIZATION ii

Battalion." They are going to Europe equipped with
a gas mask that experts claim far surpasses anything
in use now. Moreover, they will take with them gas
ammunition tanks and tanks of "hell fire," that are
recent inventions.

In addition to gas work, the "Hell Fire Boys" are
becoming smoke artists. They are practicing daily
with smoke clouds. Over the campus at American
University they are sending out huge black volumes
of smoke. In Europe these smoke clouds are used to
hide troop movements and to unnerve the enemy. The
enemy never knows what is back of a smoke cloud. It
always causes nervous excitement, for it inevitably
is followed by an attack from some unexpected point.
There will be but one gas and flame regiment for each
American army. As a result of this policy the gas and
flame fighters get a greater variety of action than any
other unit. There is no long station at one place. They
move about quickly from one front to another. Gas
attacks always come in the heaviest battles and the
**Hell Fire Boys" expect to be among those present at
every big attack made by the American forces.

To the men the necessary training that filled
the months of November and December looked
suspiciously like close-order drill; but the public
continued to think of them as dealing chiefly
in poisonous gas and hell fire. With occasional
experiments, such as the use of smoke clouds,
disciplinary drill went steadily on as the com-
panies grew more and more ready for overseas
service.

In anticipation of orders to leave, an impressive

12 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

step in the life of the regiment was taken on De-
cember 9. At 3 P.M. on the Wisconsin Avenue pa-
rade grounds, at Camp American University, there
was held a special ceremony to receive the regi-
mental colors presented by Mrs. John Markle,
aunt of Lieutenant Robinson, of Company B.
The colors were taken out by a color guard and
presented by the Regimental Adjutant to a guard
in command of Lieutenant Owen, Company B,
sent out from the battalion formed in line. The
guard, bearing the colors, then returned to their
place in line, and the battalion passed in review
before the Commanding Officer.^

Some weeks later, on December 22, the bat-
talion again made a creditable appearance in
public. At 8 A.M. on that day. Companies A and
B, with the Regimental, Battalion, and Medical
Detachments, left camp for an eight-mile practice
march. On returning to camp at 10.30 a.m., orders
were received from the Post Commander to pro-
ceed at once to pass in review before the Secretary
of War in front of the State, War, and Navy
Building in Washington. Packs were taken off
hurriedly, the command was on the road at 10.50,
and after a march of five miles, stood ready
at 12.07 to pass in review. The command, led by

* Major Atkisson received his commission as Lieutenant-
Colonel, N.A., on December 20.

ORGANIZATION 13

the regimental band,* was reviewed by the Secre-
tary of War. Among those on his staff were Gen-
eral T. H. Bliss, Chief of Staff; Major-General
John Biddle, Assistant Chief of Staff; Major-
General W. M. Black, Chief of Engineers; Briga-
dier-General E. E. Winslow, Corps of Engineers;
and Colonel C. E. Potter, Director of the Gas
Service. After the review the organization marched
directly back to Camp American University, ar-
riving about 2.30 P.M., and thus completed, with-
out a man dropping out, a march of 18 miles, 8
miles of which had been in heavy marching order.
The long-awaited order to leave for overseas
service called for departure on Christmas Day.
At 3.30 P.M. on December 25, the command ^ was
formed on Massachusetts Avenue, and marched
through Washington in a snowstorm to the rail-
road siding. There they entrained at 6 p.m. for
the "Port of Embarkation." At 3.30 a.m. the fol-
lowing day the battalion arrived at Jersey City,
detrained at 7 a.m. and, after a short ferry trip to
the Hoboken piers, embarked on the U.S. Trans-
port President Grant, former Hamburg- American
liner, which sailed that afternoon at four o'clock.
Colonel Atkisson, who had accompanied the com-

* Organization of the band had begun December 6. The instru-
ments were the gift of Major Weinberg.

* The command that sailed included Regimental H.Q., First
Battalion H.Q., ^nd Companies A and B.

14 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

mand to the pier, returned to Fort Myer to be
with the Second Battahon.

Other troops on the transport were the 2ist
Engineers, the 303d Stevedore Regiment, a cas-
ual detachment, and an Ordnance detachment.
Colonel Peek, commanding the 21st Engineers,
assumed command of the troops. The other ships
in the convoy were the U.S. Transport Pastores
and the U.S.S. Rochester. To these were added,
two days before reaching France, a squadron of
destroyers. The chief event, memorable for all on
board, was a submarine attack in which the Presi-
dent Grant escaped a torpedo only by a prompt
change of course, and which ended with an entry
on the ship's log that a German submarine had
been sunk. Though no men of The Thirtieth were
responsible for this unusual victory, several of our
members performed admirable service as volun-
teer firemen during the voyage, of which a letter
from the Captain expresses grateful appreciation.

U.S.S. President Grant

Base Seven

January 11, 1918
From: Commanding Officer.
To : Colonel Commanding Troops.
Subject: Appreciation of voluntary services of the
firemen of the 21st and 30th Engineers.
I. I desire to express my very sincere thanks,

ORGANIZATION 15

through you, to the below named men of the 30th
Engineers, who on the recent voyage have assisted in
the fireroom of this vessel :

Private ist CI. R. Hamilton.
Private ist CI. E. P. Frink.
Private A. W. Archer.
Private R. C. David.
Wagoner C. B. Barnes.
Musician W. F. Evans.

2. The consistently good performance of the boilers
enabled us to arrive exactly on scheduled time in spite
of unlocked for contrary winds and heavy seas. There
are many excellent firemen among the men enumer-
ated and our own firemen received much valuable
training from them.

3. To have performed this service in the most dan-
gerous part of the ship, all through the war-zone, indi-
cates magnificent spirit on their part. It is not so bad
to be on deck where you can see what's happening,
but I always feel a peculiar anxiety and sympathy for
those whose duties call them to the fire and engine
room, and where, in case of disaster, their chances of
surviving are very much reduced. To have volunteered
for this duty was splendid, and I hope that each of the
men will know how grateful the officers and crew of
this vessel are for the services they rendered.

J. P. Morton

The President Grant arrived at Brest at 10 A.M.
on January 10, 191 8, but the troops did not land
for eight days. Our men finally disembarked on
January 18, and entrained the same afternoon.
After forty-eight hours of railroad travel, -they

i6 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

left the train at Wizernes, marched to Helfaut,
near St. Omer (January 20, 4 p.m.), and were
immediately billeted.

Almost a month before the First Battalion set
out for France, it became possible to start the
organization of the Second Battalion. On Novem-
ber 28, the First Casual Company of The Thirtieth
was formed, with Lieutenant Scott Trammell in
charge of 90 recruits. This company was sent for
training to Belvoir, Va., and a week later the re-
cruits, now numbering 137, were assigned as pri-
vates. On December 9, Captain Lowenberg took
command, with four first lieutenants and one sec-
ond lieutenant as additional officers; and Com-
pany C began its formal existence.

Company D meanwhile had begun to be visible.
On December 5, Lieutenant Stoepker took charge
of 39 privates, drawn from the First Casual Com-
pany, and the next day Lieutenant Dayton took
command of what was now Company D. On De-
cember 14, Company C, then at Belvoir, and
Company D, then at Camp American University,
moved to Fort Myer, where Captain Geiger as-
sumed command of Company D. The men were
quartered in barracks adjoining those of the Sec-
ond Cavalry, and remained at this post until their
departure for France. Recruits continued to ar-
rive, and by the end of the year C Company was

ORGANIZATION 17

183 and D 167 strong.^ At the New Year non-
commissioned officers were appointed for both
companies, and three weeks later both had reached
their full strength.

Most of the training of these companies, up to
this time, had consisted of the necessary initial
work of close-order drill. A further valuable step
in their education was now made possible by
arrangements for a fortnight's rifle practice. Be-
tween January 20 and 22, the battalion was trans-
ported a distance of 45 miles in motor trucks to
Annapolis, where it encamped at the Naval Tar-
get Range. With naval officers to superintend the
schedules and instruction, and with bluejackets
as guides and teachers, all our officers and men
shot both the Navy and Army courses, under the
difficult conditions contributed by severe cold and
frequent snowfall.^ The officers in Camp at An-
napolis will always remember gratefully, both as
helpful organizers and as cordial friends, Lieuten-
ant Harrington and Ensigns Zink and Simpson.
By way of showing their appreciation of their
naval hosts and teachers, our officers and men
organized an entertainment for all the naval men,
which took place in the Annapolis Armory on the

^ Second Battalion H.Q. had been organized December 28.

* The range record for the Army course as shot by Company
C included 2 sharpshooters and 44 marksmen. D Company
achieved 5 sharpshooters and 38 marksmen. '

i8 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

evening of January 31, and which included a suc-
cessful programme of basketball, boxing, music,
and refreshments.

On the Saturday and Sunday following, the
entire command returned to Fort Myer (Febru-
ary 2 and 3), and there began the work of final
preparation for impending departure. The de-
parture continued to impend for three weeks more
— a period actively given over to procuring and
inspecting all necessary equipment. Time also
was found for Company C to organize an orches-
tra which was "the feature of the evening" at
a dance and supper given on February 13, in
cooperation with 125 ladies, employees of the
Treasury Department. Sunday services held by
the Chaplain became from now on a regular
feature of the weekly schedule.

During the week of February 17, the work of
preparation was more tense and interesting. Fre-
quent practice marches were undertaken, usually
preceded by "get-away" drills as rehearsals of
final departure. On Monday afternoon, February
25, at 3.30, the companies assembled with full
equipment, and after roll-call, marched to the
Roslyn Station, near the Potomac Bridge, where
they entrained with neatness and dispatch.^ The
train left at 5 p.m. and reached Jersey City at

^ Battalion Headquarters remained behind.

ORGANIZATION 19

2.30 A.M. After four hours of waiting and a brief
ferry trip, the battalion was reassembled on the
pier at Hoboken, and before 1 1 a.m. had embarked
on the U.S. Transport Agamemnon, 22,000 tons,
once the Kaiser Wilhelm II. Colonel Atkisson
joined the battalion aboard ship. He had left Fort
Myer on February 3, with orders to proceed to
France, but an attack of diphtheria had delayed
his departure, fortunately not too long to prevent
his sailing with his own men.

On the evening of the following day the Aga-
memnon sailed. Lieutenant-Colonel Stacey, of
the 28th Infantry, assumed command of the
troops on board, which included part of the 26th
Engineers, and several Signal Corps and Casual
companies. The convoy consisted, besides the
Agamemnon, of the U.S. Transports Mt. Vernon
(the former Kronprinzessin Cecilie) and America
(the Amerika), joined, on March 3, by the U.S.
Armored Cruiser Seattle, bearing the Secretary
of War. Daily "abandon-ship" drills kept the men
in proper training, and almost nightly "movies"
helped to lighten the long evenings. Two days
after entering the "danger zone" came what
looked like an attack on a submarine, in the
course of which the Seattle fired three shots astern
and sharply changed her course. The America
fired one of her five-inch guns, and a call to

20 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

quarters sounded on all the ships. A few minutes
later "recall" followed, and unlimited discussion
began as to the cause of the incident. The log,
however, unfortunately records that we attacked
no more than a floating log. Early next morning
the convoy was cheered by the sight of a flock of
destroyers which accompanied the transports to
port.

Though they escaped casualties from attacks,
the companies were unfortunate enough to lose
three men on the voyage by death from pneu-

monia,

On Sunday morning, March lo, the Agamem-
non anchored in the harbor of Brest, and between
three and five o'clock the next afternoon the bat-
talion disembarked and marched four miles to the
Pontanezen Barracks, quarters designed by Vau-
ban and used by Napoleon. After two days at this
post, the companies entrained at Brest, and began
on March 13, at 3.40 p.m., the journey which
ended March 16, at 3 a.m., at the town of Langres
(Haute-Marne). Shortly after noon the companies
formed and marched three miles to the village
of Humes, on the river Marne, where they were
billeted.

^ Sergeant Carroll and Private Farrell, Company C, and Pri-
vate Hartman, Company D.

CHAPTER III

THE OVERSEAS TRAINING OF THE FIRST AND
SECOND BATTALIONS

The day after arriving at Helfaut, the First
Battalion was stationed at Depot Special Brigade,
Royal Engineers. Officers and men of the bat-
talion then began, under Major W. Campbell-
Smith, M.C., R.E., a five weeks' course of training
in offensive gas warfare. The instruction, given by
officers of the Special Companies, consisted largely
in field work, supplemented by occasional lec-
tures. By the time this preliminary education was
completed, our men were ready to take an active
share in work on the British front. Each platoon
was attached to a Special Company of the Royal
Engineers^ and while remaining at times in the

* Assignments of our platoons to Special Companies, R.E.:

1st platoon, Company A, to F Special Company at Erquinghem.

2d platoon, Company A, to Z Special Company at Neuve
Eglise.

3d platoon, Company A, to No. 2 Special Company at Neuve
Eglise.

4th platoon. Company A, to L Special Company at Nieppe.

1st platoon, Company B, to No. 4 Special Company at Bethune.

2d platoon. Company B, to B Special Company at Sains-en-
Gohelle.

3d platoon. Company B, to M Special Company at Verquin.

4th platoon, Company B, to O Special Company at Sains-en-
Gohelle.

22 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

charge of its own officers, worked under the super-
vision of British commanders.^ The portion of
front over which the platoons were extended in-
cluded, roughly, the thirty mile stretch from
Ypres to Lens, a battle-ground already historic,
and on the verge of becoming even more famous.
Five platoons had reached their stations at the
front as early as March 2, and within less than
two weeks were joined by all the others. By thus
entering upon front-line warfare less than three
months after completing its organization and six
weeks after landing upon French soil, the First
Battalion of The Thirtieth holds the record
(among combatant troops) for speed.

Six of the eight platoons were engaged in in-
stalling projectors; the other two worked with
Stokes mortars.^ The routine task of preparation,
and the even more trying task of waiting for
favorable weather conditions, occupied most of
the first two or three weeks of March. This rou-
tine varied with each platoon according to its
location and the work assigned. Several platoons
had forward billets and remained for work in
that area for from two to six days, alternating

* This work was strictly active warfare. Partly, however, for
convenience, partly in deference to the fact that the operations
were under British direction, this period is classed under "Over-
seas Training."

^ A description of these weapons will be found in Appendix D.

iSt.Omer

Hazebrouck'y

V y^ ^pres'

^ Messines* A^S^Tij? l<-

Neuve E'^ise, V^■V.,;,. .>v vyWarnl-ton
Plcteprsteert* /*^ '

Nieppe* '"Ni/J

■,x^,^tiAro.a JHjouplines

Armeniiefes^

Erquin^emi-

Airei

R

Mervijl;

N/i ^C

Auchy"

Lai
io- Basfee'e 1

LilleJ

E/

Anneguiri*
San,

leguin •
anjy*

•HuUuch

'\/ \ j Vs^^ /Grena^ Loos

...Dieval ^BarlinA^^^"^ ><- •

■•"•^

Vimy

o

rrasj

A'

%-^

BRITISH FRONT

Statute Miles

10 16 20

OVERSEAS TRAINING 23

these periods with a few days of rest in billets far-
ther to the rear. Most of the platoons, however,
had but one set of billets, and migrated every day
or two to the front for digging. But in either case
the normal events were nightly digging and daily
resting. Yet a description purely in terms of
"digging" and "rest billets" gives too placid and
peace-time a picture of the life of these companies.
"Billets" were often merely a few cubic feet in
the cellars of some ruined village (as at Cit6 St.
Pierre) and "digging" involved working in the
open on ground between front and support or
support and reserve trenches. Add to this the
constant need to inspect and repair projectors
even after they had been installed, and the con-
tinual passage of trucks or trains over roads
"marked" and often observed by the enemy, and
the picture will be truer to the realities of warfare
which our platoons encountered. Their risks were
real enough to result in three or four casualties
from machine-gun or shell-fire and fourteen or
fifteen more from gas, even before they had
"pulled off" any "shows." Company A's fourth
platoon was under heavy shell-fire during the
bombardment of Nieppe on March 1 1 ; ten days
later the first platoon was shelled with mustard
and phosgene gas at Erquinghem; and on March
23 the Stokes mortar platoon (third) suffered from

24 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

machine-gun fire at Neuve Eglise. These days of
duty with the British, in short, may have been
for purposes of training, but about the training
there was nothing academic.

Between March 19 and April 4, the Special
Companies, assisted by our men, carried out a
series of gas attacks on the enemy — the fruit of
the weeks of labor and waiting. The second pla-
toon of Company A, which had reached the front
on March 10, took part in the action of March 19,
east of Messines Ridge, when 1 122 projectors were
fired. Two nights later all the platoons of B Com-
pany participated in attacks, in the course of
which two men were killed ^ and two wounded.
The first platoon assisted in a Stokes mortar
operation in front of Houplines; the second as-
sisted in the preparation and discharge of 2500
projectors upon a target close to Lens; the third
was engaged in a similar but smaller attack in the
Bois Rase; and the fourth helped in the firing of
620 projectors into Lens. On March 2"] the third
platoon of Company A, manning eight Stokes
mortars, participated in a gas operation against
Warneton; and the next day the three projector
platoons of B Company carried out their second
"shows" upon the same targets. The succeeding
week was equally full of activity. On March 31
^ Private First Class Gray and Private Neal.

OVERSEAS TRAINING 25

(Easter Day) the first and fourth platoons of
Company A were in action, the former helping
to fire 1800 projectors east of Armentieres, the
latter digging in and firing 400 into Warneton.
The same night A's third platoon was in charge
of twelve Stokes mortars firing upon Warneton.
The following day the third platoon of B took
part in a projector attack (675 guns) upon Cit6
St. Auguste and the second shot 400 reset guns
against Lens. On the night of April 2, A's second
platoon assisted in resetting and firing 478 guns;
while B's first platoon (then divided) executed a
Stokes mortar attack in the direction of Hulluch,
and established a smoke screen 500 yards south
in connection with a successful infantry raid.
The latter may rank as first among the many
famous smoke screens thrown by The Thirtieth.
Finally the fourth platoon of B shared in the
discharge, on April 3, of 1600 projectors into
Lens.

The original plans for the education with the
British of the First Battalion had contemplated
successive steps toward independence, in which
first our single platoons and later our single com-
panies should have assigned to them distinct sta-
tions or sectors wherein they could carry out their
share of the whole work planned. By the first week
in April all the platoons were reported as ready

26 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

for the first steps, though only one or two had
been given opportunities to act as units; and the
time was not far off when both companies could
have begun to operate as distinct additions to the
British Special Companies. But the course of this
evolution was rudely interrupted, and all other
immediate plans of British and Americans swal-
lowed up by the progress of the great German
offensive. Beginning on March 21 with a drive
toward Amiens, during which heavy gains in terri-
tory were made in Picardy, the German attack
was next pressed with equal force against the
British front between Ypres and Lens. Before
this phase of the offensive was fully under way
the rearrangement of British plans made neces-
sary the transfer of our platoons. A cylinder oper-
ation was planned on a large scale to be under-
taken by most of the Special Companies, R.E.,
all of which were by this time with the First Army
around Lens. The area for this operation included
the territory between La Bass6e Canal and Hill
70. In view of these designs, it was agreed be-
tween the British Commanders and ours that
our companies could not only best advance their
own training, but also be of the greatest assistance
at the moment by joining the preparation for this
extensive gas attack. On April 6, therefore, the
companies moved to the new locations assigned

OVERSEAS TRAINING 27

and began work. This work was being carried on
well within the active area of the greatest battle
in history, and our battahon began soon to share
the losses as well as the labors of those critical
weeks. On April 8 and 9, the enemy shelled this
entire front with mustard gas, putting over some
80,000 shells in forty-eight hours and throwing
out of action, among others, a whole reserve bri-
gade of British troops. Casualties everywhere,
military and civilian, were very heavy. The woods
were choked with ambulances and with swarms
of French refugees. During these days our men
were busy with cylinder installations; and though
the concentration of gas to which they were sub-
jected was slight, the fact of their continued work
made casualties inevitable, and by April 9, 51
men of Company A were listed as wounded, in-
cluding Captain Gribbel and Lieutenant Judson.
On that day, too, the first deaths in the company
occurred. A line of trucks returning with men to
billets at dawn was caught in an enemy barrage
near Annequin, and before the men could take
shelter, Private Hass was killed and Corporal
Dodd so seriously wounded that he died within a
few hours. ^ Company B's Hst of gas casualties
was briefer, but some 14 men were sent to the

^ Corporal A. W. Jones (later Sergeant and Second Lieuten-
ant) was awarded the D.S.C. for his gallantry on this occasion.
See Appendix E.

28 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

hospital. The following day was marked by the
German drive for Merville against the Portuguese
contingent. On April 1 1 , Company B was ordered
to move out of the fighting zone and to assist in
an extensive movement of stores from Sains-en-
Gohelle to Di6val. Company A continued work
on the cylinder operation for ten days longer.^
With one company thus out of danger and with
the other permitted by a lull in the offensive to
work under less galling conditions, the subsequent
casualties in the battalion were very few. But
the fact that on April 14 B Company's effective
strength was only 136 is clear evidence that in
those days of Allied stress and risk our regiment
had not been mainly concerned with saving itself.
Decisions had been difficult as to how far our
duties as a nucleus of the American Gas Service
conflicted with our duties as fellow-fighters with
the British; but none will regret that, before our
departure, the opportunity was given and taken
to spend our strength gladly in the common
cause.

The withdrawal of the First Battalion was com-
pleted on April 22 when the command entrained
at Barlin for Auchy-les-Hesdin. After a stay of
three days there, the men were moved by train

* This famous operation had not been carried out when our
last man left, though at least one Boche, from across "No Man's
Land," was heard to urge its speedy execution.

LA VILLE-AUX-BOIS

FOUR-INCH STOKES TRENCH MORTAR

OVERSEAS TRAINING 29

to Chaumont,^ and after a march of four miles
arrived at La Ville-aux-Bois.^

For three months our men had been under
British direction, not merely in cooperation, but so
mingled as to be working shoulder to shoulder with
their allies. As an aspect of minor importance,
the contact was socially a success. Americans, for
some reason, will always show surprise at the un-
mistakably British traits of the British, and their
cousins cannot overlook the fact that Americans
tend to be intensely American ; but such contrasts
seem not to have made for discord. Baseball
games with the Colonials, entertainments and
concerts, mutually given and enjoyed, all ex-
pressed and promoted good feeling. The officers,
too, who messed as well as worked with their
British colleagues, retain the happiest memories
of the friendship and hospitality of their teachers
and allies.

Turning from play, however, to the main story
of work achieved, it will always be gratifying to
members of The Thirtieth that we were not the
first to word the praise of our own record. That

^ Chaumont, La Ville-aux-Bois, and Langres, Humes, and
Choignes (subsequently mentioned) are too far behind the front
to appear on the maps. Chaumont (American G.H.Q.) is 55 miles
southwest of Toul. La Ville-aux-Bois and Choignes are villages
close by. Langres, with Humes close by, is 25 miles southeast
of Chaumont. It was the center of the "school area" for the
A.E.F.

30 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

has been done better than we should dare to do
it, in the letters that follow:^

First Army No. G.S. 1036/2
O.C, Special Companies, R.E.

Reference your G 366, d/-3-4-i8.
The Army commander has read your report on
the operations carried out by Special Companies on
1st and 2nd April, and is glad to see the operations
have been efficiently carried out. He wishes to express
his satisfaction at the assistance which you report has
been rendered by American platoons attached to the
Special Companies engaged, and desires to convey his
congratulations to the American officers and other
ranks who have been employed.

(Signed) W. H. Anderson

Major General
General Staff, First Army

Directorate of Gas Service, B.E.F.

26th of April, 1918
Dear Major Robbe:

I have much pleasure in enclosing a copy of a
letter just received from Colonel Kent.

From what I have seen and heard of your companies

^ Typical of the praise received by different individual pla-
toons is the following letter to Lieutenant Morey:

April II, 1918
Lieut. D. Morey, Jr.
U.S. Army.
Will you please let me thank you for the splendid way in
which you and your men have helped us in the past month of
stress? Their efforts have been magnificent, and are gratefully
appreciated by myself and those above me.

J. M. Bansall, Captain, R.E.
O.C. Z Special Co., R.E.

OVERSEAS TRAINING 31

I fully endorse all that he says of them; and perhaps
you will permit me to say that all of us in the British
Gas Service have the greatest possible admiration for
your officers and men.

They quickly made friends with us at Helfaut and
this friendship has been cemented during the weeks in
which we have worked together at the front.

Moreover, I think that the first experiment that
has been made in France of training American with
British troops has met with unqualified success.

I wish you every good fortune in your future deal-
ings with the Germans: we shall watch your deeds
with the greatest interest while we engage you in
friendly rivalry.

Yours very sincerely
(Signed) General Foulkes

H.Q. Special Brigade, R.E.

The two American Companies which have been
attached to the Special Companies of this Army area
are leaving on Tuesday, 23d, instant.

Their conduct both in and out of the line has been
admirable. They have worked with our personnel
during actual cylinder, mortar, and projector oper-
ations.

In several projector operations they have been
assigned a definite part of the operation, emplacing
and firing a definite number of batteries. In 4" Stokes
gas bombardments, the American platoon attached
was distributed among the crews of the mortars, load-
ing and firing certain of the mortars allotted for the
operation.

Lately they have received valuable experience in
transporting to, and emplacing cylinders in, the front
line. In all the operations, cylinder, trench mortar,

32 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

and projector, they have followed such operations
from the very commencement.

Officers and N.C.O.'s show a very keen and intelli-
gent interest in the work, and I am quite certain that
when they commence operations on their own, such
operations will be carried through efficiently and suc-
cessfully.

(Signed) A. E. Kent, Lieut. Col.

O.C. Special Companies R.E., First Army

The Thirtieth will always be grateful to the
First Battalion for having launched its reputa-
tion on a high level, and maintained it under
hard conditions. And that gratitude can never be
separated from our gratitude to the British for
having done everything to hasten the day when
the American Army could begin to use its own
Gas Regiment. Officially and unofficially our
thanks are continual to Colonel Kent, to Major
Campbell-Smith, and to all their subordinates for
the instruction and cooperation which helped so
vitally to set our standards and to initiate our
career.

' While the First Battalion was at the front dur-
ing March and April, Companies C and D had
been spending their first two weeks at Humes
(near Langres) in becoming adjusted to their new
quarters and in continuing the usual drills and
"hikes." By March 26 all the company officers
but three had been ordered away for duty else-

OVERSEAS TRAINING 33

where, chiefly for gas training at Helfaut. Within
the next ten days the battalion had been strength-
ened by the arrival of Captains Sibert, Kobbe,
and Berlin, Lieutenants Owen, Firebaugh, Knox,
and Hall, and Lieutenant J. P. Webster, of the
Medical Detachment, all of whom had previously
been in training with the First Battalion. Captain
Sibert took command of the battalion,^ Captain
Kobbe, of C Company, and Captain Berlin, of D.
With this infusion of comparative veterans, train-
ing became more active and specific. During this
period all the men received their gas masks, and
at the Gas School at Langres attended lectures
and drills in gas defense. Occasional visits from
Colonel Atkisson, as well as one from Colonel
Fries, helped the officers in forming new plans
and in putting new spirit into their execution.

Training was also undertaken in the use of the
bayonet and in grenade-throwing. Four lieuten-
ants from the Army Schools at Langres, directed
by Lieutenant Slater, gave the instruction in
bombing. During the course of this practice — on
April II — the first casualties in the Second Bat-
talion occurred. Owing to the premature explo-
sion of a bomb, just released above his head, Cap-
tain Kobbe's right hand was blown off; First
Sergeant McGuffie, of C Company, lost the use

* Now known as the Provisional Battalion.

34 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

of his right eye; and Private Berger, of C, and
two bombing instructors suffered lesser injuries.
Company C, of which Captain Sibert then took
charge, had known Captain Kobbe long enough to
regret sincerely the loss of a commander whom the
company had already begun to admire ; and every
officer began to miss keenly a delightful friend.

During the time of this April training steps had
been successfully taken by Regimental Head-
quarters to secure for the use of The Thirtieth a
large area east of Chaumont (hitherto almost un-
used for military purposes), part of which had
already been assigned for use as a Gas Service
Experimental Field. A village in that area — La
Ville-aux-Bois — was assigned to the First and
Provisional Battalions; and on April 26 and 27
the latter, now under command of Captain Wat-
son, moved by truck from Humes, and took up
their new quarters. Their behavior at Humes had
been so nearly exemplary as to call forth a letter
of praise from the Mayor and to justify from visit-
ing inspectors high commendation for military
manners and for sanitation.

The day after its arrival at La Ville-aux-Bois
the Provisional Battalion, as we have seen, was
joined by the First Battalion, fresh from the Brit-
ish front; and for nearly four weeks they were
quartered together. Life on a regimental scale

OVERSEAS TRAINING 35

was then, for the first time, possible. Companies
C and D had their first opportunity to rub shoul-
ders with "veterans," and to absorb, in any
quantity their creduHty allowed, stories of adven-
tures and achievements on the British front. The
faint air of superiority easily pardonable in young
"veterans" seldom prevented cordial good feeling
among the four companies; and sharing experi-
ences as well as receiving instruction was a stimu-
lus to the men of C and D. The chances were many
for play in common. A series of six baseball games
played for a cup offered by Colonel Atkisson re-
sulted in a victory for Company D ; almost nightly
entertainments, mainly provided with the inval-
uable aid of the Y.M.C.A., filled the big tent with
men; the band took a new lease of life; and B
Company won instant renown by presenting a
show on May 13, part of which was a vivid and
realistic picture of the night life of gas work with
the British. 1

The most striking celebration of our new unity
as a regiment was given in a review of The Thirti-
eth held by Colonel Fries on May 3 at the Gas
Experimental Field — a day when hardly a man
could help feeling, with something of a thrill,
what the past seven months had seen achieved

* During this period the regiment "adopted" and subscribed
for the support of six French "war orphans."

36 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

and what the next seven might hold in store.
From then on a schedule of steady training was
set in operation. For each battalion close-order
drill continued ; but for A and B it was enlivened
by bayonet work and rifle practice at a near-by
range, and for C and D by instruction for N.C.O.'s,
and later for all the men, in Stokes mortars and
projectors. Meantime, in the Regimental and
Battalion Headquarters, the task was being
planned and pressed of getting The Thirtieth
ready for front-line warfare — preparing and
equipping the dump at Leonval, negotiating with
division commanders, and rearranging our per-
sonnel. The First Replacement Company^ —
drawn from the Engineer Replacement Camp at
Angers — had already begun its existence (under
Captain Lowenberg) at the neighboring village
of Choignes. Transfers from the company filled
out the ranks of Companies A and B. Numerous
transfers of officers, too, were effected, including
the assignment of Captain Watson to the com-
mand of the First Battalion and of Major Robbe
to the command of the "Provisional." By May
21 preparations, both at the post and at the
front, were so far completed that the First Bat-
talion received orders to move; and the following
day the battalion set out in trucks for the Toul

^ Authorized March 26 and organized April 25.

OVERSEAS TRAINING 37

sector of the American front. The Thirtieth was
now ready for independent offensive action.

After the departure of the elder unit, the " Pro-
visional" resumed its solitary career, and the
work of instruction went on. That same night the
first class in Stokes mortars finished its course by
holding what one member termed "Commence-
ment Exercises" in the form of a successful
*^show," giving the men their first experience of
the tense moments as "zero" hour approaches.
A week later a similar graduation "show" of
Stokes mortars took place, marked by one famous
casualty more convincing to Dr. McKee than to
the surgeons of the Base Hospital. Training in
projectors, too, had already begun, first for
classes of N.C.O.'s, and later for all the privates.
After a small projector "show" by the former, a
much larger one was staged on the night of June 6,
when The Thirtieth gave its first public exhibi-
tion of projectors and mortars in action before an
audience which included several generals and
many other distinguished guests from General
Headquarters.

During this same week the work of the battalion
and the life of the village were enlivened by the
arrival of Regimental Headquarters,^ by the ap-

^ Previously located at Chaumont and at the Gas Service
Experimental Field.

38 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

pearance of three British officers from the Special
Brigade, R.E.^ to act as advisers and observers,
and by the transfer from Choignes to La Ville-
aux-Bois of the First Replacement Company,
thenceforward known as Company Q.

Compensation for continual learning, digging,
and carrying came partly in the form of increasing
interest in new problems, made real by the pros-
pect of action close ahead, and partly in the form
of many outside diversions. Some pursued the
hunting of wild boar — which always resulted in
more hunting than boar; others entrapped foxes
or hedgehogs who assisted the regiment as mas-
cots by leading dejected lives at the end of a
chain. The more conventional were content with
continual ball games and with the admirable con-
certs and lectures offered by the Y.M.C.A., while
the more enterprising (chiefly a group of talent
in Company D) produced a minstrel show at
which (as the home paper would say) "a good
time was had by all." The good time of the offi-
cers was perhaps due less to their figuring in the
actors' jokes than to the presence at the show
and at a later supper and dance of the "telephone
girls" from G.H.Q.

By the middle of June Companies C and D had

* Captain D. M. Wilson, M Special Company, R.E.
Captain J. T. McNamee, No. 2, Special Company, R.E.
Captain N. L. Roberts, No. 2, Special Company, R.E.

OVERSEAS TRAINING 39

been brought to full strength through drafts upon
Company Q, and the final instruction in cylinder
operations had begun. On June 26 a regimental
order constituted Companies B and D as the First
Battalion with Major Watson in command, and
Companies A and C as the Provisional Battalion
with Major Crawford in command. Captain Wood
had already replaced Captain Sibert in command
of Company C. To begin active work with Com-
pany A, Company C left La Ville-aux-Bois on
June 22 for the camp at Lagney; and on July 2
Company D set out to join Company B in the
lively sector behind Ch§.teau-Thierry. The period
of overseas training was at length concluded, and
a second fighting battalion was ready to take the
field.

CHAPTER IV

THE FIRST ACTIONS

Preceding the arrival of the First Battalion by
a week, Captain Watson, accompanied by his
Engineer Officer, Lieutenant Hall, had reached
Lagney on May 14, to begin arrangements for the
location of the companies and their future opera-
tions. An effort to billet the men permanently at
Lagney having failed, far better quarters for them
were secured in a group of Adrian barracks situ-
ated at the edge of the Bois de Lagney, three
quarters of a mile from the village. Upon their
arrival on May 22, they were installed there, and
proceeded to make that particular "neck of the
woods" such a model camp that it was later
awarded a prize offered by the Y.M.C.A. for the
best camp in the divisional area. So desirable a
location, secluded enough to be almost secret, was
defended for the sole use of The Thirtieth only
by the watchful energy of Battalion Headquarters
and the kind assistance of the French Corps
Commander.

Both before and after the arrival of the bat-
talion, Captain Watson and his staff were engaged
in the difficult pioneering required to put The

THE FIRST ACTIONS 41

Thirtieth on the map. To combine pubhcity and
secrecy, dignity and vim, diplomacy and "brass,"
is no easy task ; but it is an achievement recorded
to the credit of the versatile captain and his adroit
assistants. To be the first and only gas regiment
in the American Army may be an honor; but to
be thrust suddenly into a front unaccustomed to
gas warfare, and to cooperate with authorities
unfamiliar with its operations, is an honor tem-
pered with trials of its own. The work of initiat-
ing, planning, and coordinating required watchful
persistence, and at times even called for the art of
respectfully educating one's superiors. The task,
however, was less difficult than it might have
been, owing to the cordial cooperation of Major-
General Edwards, of the Twenty-sixth Division.
Invaluable assistance, too, as well as timely pres-
tige, accrued to the regiment as a result of the
active interest in our work of General Passaga,
of the Thirty-second French Corps. Two days
after the arrival of the battalion. General Passaga
sent his aide. Captain ChSne, to interview Cap-
tain Watson and to investigate the status and
prospects of The Thirtieth. Thenceforward his
friendly help continued to further our progress,
and to put at our disposal maps and meteoro-
logical and "intelligence" data obtainable from
no other source.

42 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Meanwhile, from May 22 until June 6, the men
of the two companies were busy refitting and im-
proving their new property and assisting Lieuten-
ant Miller, in charge of the "Dump,**^ in the
process of unloading and storing materials and
ammunition. In addition to several successful
ball games with the Military Police at Menil-la-
Tour, the first week of our stay was made memo-
rable by the appearance of Elsie Janis at an open-
air performance in the village of Lagney, where
most of the battalion seized the opportunity to
enjoy her resourceful grace as an entertainer. She
was subsequently the guest of honor at our head-
quarters mess.

At the close of the month, on Memorial Day,
an impressive service was held to commemorate
those members of the battalion who had been
killed in action or died of wounds on the British
front. That same afternoon a series of athletic
contests took place with the loist Ammunition
Train in which, despite the loss of other events,
The Thirtieth won two races, a boxing bout, and
(instantaneously) a tug-of-war.

On June 6, official sanction having been secured
and reconnaissance conducted, operation orders
were issued. These called for two projector at-

* Situated about two and one half miles from Lagney at
IA>nval.

LIVENS PROJECTORS

LIEUTENANT FLEMING

PROJECTOR DISCHARGE AT NIGHT

THE FIRST ACTIONS 43

tacks, one to be made by Company A in the
American sector occupied by the Twenty-sixth
Division, and one by Company B in the French
sector occupied by the Sixty-fifth Division. Since
the latter was executed first, its preparation may
first be considered.

The general target for B Company was to be
the German camps in the neighborhood of Ferme
Ste. Marie in the Foret des Vencheres,^ more par-
ticularly the targets M and N, which included a
battalion headquarters, two companies of Land-
wehr troops and one company of Minenwerfers.
The emplacement area was a narrow strip running
southwest from the ruined hamlet of Fey-en-
Haye, about a kilometer from the nearest target.
Here 1000 projectors were to be installed, partly
just behind the support trenches, partly in the
trenches themselves.

Since the scene of B's activities was about
fourteen miles from Lagney, it was necessary to
secure forward billets. These were provided (by
order of General Passaga) in the neighborhood
of the French Battalion Headquarters known as
"Belgrade" — a series of huts and dugouts along
one side of a wooded ravine about a mile from the
emplacement area. Along the opposite side of this
little valley ran a light railway which terminated

* Some eight or ten miles west of Pont-4-Mousson.

44 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

some 770 yards from the nearest point for exca-
vation. On June 6, one officer and 63 men were
transported to Belgrade accompanied by 125 pro-
jectors and much other material. Two days later
141 more men had been billeted, and munitions
continued to arrive as needed. For the next week
the work of carrying and digging proceeded stead-
ily. The "carry" was unusually difficult, measur-
ing 1 1 00 yards in cars to the railhead and 770
yards from there on. The labors of our men, how-
ever, were lightened in very welcome fashion by
the nightly assistance of 100 French Senegalese
troops, detailed to act as carriers. These stalwart
negroes from West Africa were no fonder of work
than the rest of mankind ; but their numbers guar-
anteed their usefulness, and their cheerful ability
to carry projectors on top of their heads never
failed to excite American admiration. Some carry-
ing, and even digging, was done by daylight, but
most of it was carried out between 9 p.m. and 2
A.M., for the short June nights prevented early
arrival or late departure. During these hours the
French provided covering parties in the trenches
ahead of us.

Our sector being located on the most peaceful
of all "peace-time" fronts, we were subjected to
no casualties and almost no excitement. The only
continuous form of interest was the Victrola.

THE FIRST ACTIONS 45

Intermittent machine-gunning at night, of a mild
type, occasional shelling over our heads toward
battery targets behind us, and still more rarely,
the bursting of "Archies" above us, in quest of
elusive aeroplanes — these were the only signs
of war. The men's work was never hampered by
attack, nor did shells ever burst nearer than 500
yards to the billets.

By the morning of June 16 all the projectors
had been installed and loaded with bombs, and
attention began at once to be riveted upon the
weather. The next day interest in the coming ac-
tion was heightened by the appearance of orders
for the use of two Stokes mortars to assist a French
raid by simulating a gas attack with light smoke
bombs. This miniature bombardment was put in
charge of Lieutenants Paine and Hanlon, and
plans and reconnaissances were promptly made.

During the progress of B's work, similar prepa-
rations were being carried out by A Company.
Their plans called for a "show" of 900 projectors,
500 to be located in the northeast corner of the
Bois de Jury (Position i) and 400 in the open on
the reverse slope of a low hill about two thirds of
a kilometer southeast of the wood (Position 2).
The guns in these emplacements covered two
main targets in or near the Bois de Mt. Mare.
The secluded situation of the former permitted

46 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

digging by day; but upon the latter only night
work was feasible. Forward billets were not used;
and daily or nightly transportation by trucks was
the rule. For work in the wood position the men
would arrive early in the morning at Bern6court,
the nearest village, and march from there in
couples, at long intervals, to the woods, returning
in the afternoon to Lagney. For the smaller em-
placement, however, nightly arrival and depar-
ture before dawn constituted the schedule. Both
covering and carrying parties were furnished
by troops of the Twenty-sixth Division — a plan
which did not prevent our men from having much
carrying to do especially over the long haul from
the forward dump to Position i. Largely owing
to the presence of American troops in this sector,
the general situation was somewhat tenser and
more active than upon the other sector. Only
once, however, was enemy activity sufficient to
disturb our work or cause us casualties. On the
night of June lo-ii shelling directed on the road
leading to Position 2 resulted in the wounding of
Sergeant First Class Chaffin and in the temporary
disabling of one truck.

By June 13, all guns and bombs were in, and
the next five days were occupied chiefly in testing,
inspecting, and waiting for some wind that should
not escape the limits of "southwest through south

OPERATIONS B

(SOthENGRS.) 1st GAS

June 19, and, Aug. 3,

200

400

60<

200 400 600

LEGEND
Emplacement

Target

Fake Projector Flash

Smoke Cloud

THE FIRST ACTIONS 47

to southeast." Finally, on the afternoon of June
18, the wind allowed the dispatch to the waiting
companies of the orders announcing "J" day as
June 18 and "H" hour as 22.30 o'clock for Com-
pany B, and "D" day as June 19 and "H" hour
as 2.30 for Company A. The necessary private
buzzerphone circuits and through telephone con-
nections were installed at both positions by the
French and American authorities, and the First
Battalion stood ready for action.

B Company was unable to begin the work of
final preparation until almost 9.30 p.m., for until
then darkness had hardly begun to gather. The
last wiring and setting of exploders had, therefore,
to be carried out in great haste; and the critical
moment found a small proportion still incom-
plete. It was a clear moonlight night with a south
wind blowing at about six miles an hour — con-
ditions ideal in every way. At the instant of ' ' zero "
our batteries were exploded and at the same time
the French artillery in our rear opened up. An
elaborate programme of cooperation had been
arranged; and during the next half hour some
1300 shells (H.E. and shrapnel) were thrown on
our targets by ten batteries of 75, 90, 95, and 120
mm. guns. At "zero" began the work of the two
Stokes mortars to the left of our position, where
one section of the first platoon discharged 20

48 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

rounds of light smoke bombs from a position in
advance of the front-line trenches, and then
executed a successful withdrawal. Under cover of
this screen the French raiding party of 30 men
advanced. Their careful plans, however, suffered
an early check from the discovery that the Ger-
man front-line trenches were ten feet deep and
choked with barbed wire — an obstacle impass-
able in the time assigned.

At twelve minutes past "zero" the enemy be-
gan a somewhat fumbling retaliation hardly no-
ticeable in the midst of the far greater activity
on our side. Some high explosive shells fell 100
yards short of our area. It was fully half an hour
later when he threw gas shells around and behind
our position. By that time, however, nearly all
of our men had retired without accident to the
billets; and those who remained for camouflage
work continued, with respirators on, until every-
thing was secure.

By the time the slight retaliation against B
Company's position had died down, the hour for
A Company's action was approaching. Colonel
Atkisson and Major Watson^ and his staff had
hurried over to be present at the second act of
the evening, with headquarters near Bernecourt,
where the Major, in his role of "Butterfly," con-
* Commissioned July 17.

THE FIRST ACTIONS 49

tinued, up to the last moment, to receive confi-
dential messages and wind readings from ' ' Craw-
fish." Promptly at 2.30 the projectors in Position
2 were exploded, and were followed immediately
by those in Position i . On the minute, too, began
the artillery cooperation long since planned — an
attack lasting for an hour and conducted by some
ten batteries of light artillery, supplemented by
twelve pieces of heavy.

At 3.14 there ensued a fierce retaliation by the
hostile artillery, and at the same moment a party
of about 60 Boches attempted to raid the Bois de
Remieres.^ Almost immediately a barrage, called
for by the American infantry, was laid by our
light artillery in front of both Remleres and Jury
Woods, while the heavy artillery continued its
programme. The raiding party, which Included pi-
oneers and flammenwerfer bearers, was promptly
driven out by the counter attack of an American
platoon, with losses of at least three killed. Mean-
time, despite conditions of growing difficulty, our
men had been withdrawn without casualties, and
safely made the trip home to Lagney through
back areas now highly unquiet.

The German retaliation, which continued until
10 o'clock, included some 2200 shells fired upon
the Bois de Jury, adjacent sectors, and the back

* The wood next to Bois de Jury.

50 ^ THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

areas as far as Boucq. The dozen heavy shells
which exploded in the latter village caused Divi-
. sion Headquarters to move, and gave point to
the conviction expressed by General Edwards
that the severity of the retaliation was a genuine
indication of the damage which we had done the
enemy. These seven hours of Boche activity, how-
ever (two of them intense), resulted not only in
no casualties in The Thirtieth, but in losses,
throughout the whole area involved, which num-
bered no more than four men killed and twenty-
eight wounded. Our main achievement had been
twofold, — first, to have executed what a report
of Division Headquarters describes as "a suc-
cessful and severe projector attack," and second,
to have demolished in advance an enemy raid.
This raid, as planned, required the approach of
pioneers at 2.30 for wire cutting, etc., and the
subsequent advance of two "storm battalions."
At the critical hour, however, their home was in-
vaded by our phosgene. It was only their delayed
advance party which later was repulsed, for one
among the number of this feeble remnant stated,
after capture, that the German attack was from
the outset met with a withering fire from all sides.
Luck had also furnished B Company with an
equally unexpected target, of which we learned
with gratitude the next day, when there came

THE FIRST ACTIONS 51

official announcement from the French that the
attack from Fey-en- Haye had caught the Boche
while he was engaged in the process of a divisional
rehef . ^

June 19 was a cheerful day for The Thirtieth.
The events of the night — two actions upon ad-
mirable targets without the loss of a man — had
justified the conviction of Major Watson and
many of his subordinates that more could be done
to cripple the enemy and to advance the reputa-
tion of The Thirtieth by attempting to execute
two attacks, each slightly hampered by lack of
full supplies, than by one "show" more amply
provided for. It had proved impossible to install
more than 751 projectors in B's position. And on
the night of the attack only 738 out of 900 were
fired by A Company and about 600 by B. These
failures were caused by the lack of time in the
case of B Company and by the defects of the
American exploders in the case of both companies.
But the net results, despite inevitable defects,
were both more deadly to the enemy and more im-
pressive to our friends than a more model single
"show" could possibly have been.

* The following information was obtained July 20:
"The examination of prisoners captured near Fey-en-Haye
about July 18-19, gave the information that the gas attack of
June 18 caused at least 40 casualties in the 150th Landwehr
Regiment. Of these 10 were deaths."

52 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Here again, as earlier with the British, The
Thirtieth was relieved of the unwelcome task of
praising itself. General Passaga wrote to Major
Watson as follows:

G.Hq. June 20th, 1918
VIII° Armee
32° Corps dArmee
Etat-Major
3° Bureau

General Order No. 132
The General commanding the 32nd Army Corps
congratulates the detachment of the 30th American
Engineers, for having just carried out two large bom-
bardments by projectors (2,000 bombs) in the most
successful manner.

Under the expert and tenacious direction of its
leader. Major Watson, despite the difficult conditions
of the positions and the activity of the enemy observa-
tion, these operations have been carried out by this
detachment in the minimum of time, with the greatest
prudence and the maximum chances of success.

Signed: Passaga

And from General Edwards came the following :

Headquarters, Twenty-sixth Division American
Expeditionary Forces

France, June 19, 1918
From: Chief of Staff .
To: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion, 30th

Engineers.
Subject: Projector attack, night of the^iSth, 19th,

June, 1918.

THE FIRST ACTIONS 53

1. The Commanding General has directed me to
offer his congratulation to you on the success of the
projector attack which you made on the sector of this
division on the night of June i8th, 19th, 1918.

2. The attack was carried out with precision which
is due to the untiring efforts of yourself and the officers
and men under your command.

3. That this attack has been a success is evidenced
by the fact of the strong retaliatory artillery fire which
the enemy has kept up from shortly after the attack
until late in the day.

Signed: Duncan K. Major, Jr.

Chief of Staff

On June 19, General Passaga recommended
Major Watson both for the Cross of the Legion
of Honor and the Croix de Guerre with palm leaf.
Recommendations, furthermore, were requested
for other officers and enlisted men, as a result of
which 26 Croix de Guerre were bestowed upon
members of the battalion staff and of Company

Thus generously did the French reward the

^ As follows: Major G. L. Watson, Battalion Commander, and
First Lieutenant J. P. Webster, M.C., and Second Lieutenant
H. E. Hall, both of Battalion Staff, and Captain J. B. Carlock,
First Lieutenants Ben Perris, T. Beddall, A. W. Paine, Second
Lieutenant J. T. Hanlon, First Sergeant F. E. Blair, Sergeants
F. L. Allen, C. J. Connors, F. W. Smith, Corporals F. L. Faktor,
J. L. McGuire, W. L. Stevens, P. C. Smith, Wagoner J. Justice,
Privates First Class W. W. Young, L. Regan, P. W. Soderquist,
W. F. Evans, J. W. Estabrook, S. Kunst, W. F. Quinn, E. E.^
Welton, and T. D. Webster, all of Company B.

54 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

success of our first attack. ^ The decorations (given
frankly for a job well done and not for marked
valor) had been well earned ; and if they were all
confined to one company, that company will be
the first to insist that only the accident of envi-
ronment withheld like honors from the officers
and men of Company A, whose admirable work had
been carried out under conditions quite as trying.

1 Concerning the attack, the Paris edition of the New York
Herald announced in headlines:

AMERICANS DELUGE GERMANS ,
.WITH GAS AND HEAVY SHELLS )

Projectors Belch Poison Clouds ^

Far Into Enemy's Rear in the

Toul Sector

Later, in its account of the awards, the same paper printed a
column headed:

26 AMERICANS WIN HONOR FOR '
MEETING GAS WITH GAS

Stood for two Hours Amid
Fumes Thrown by Germans

CHAPTER V

THE FIRST BATTALION IN
THE CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE

By July 3, the First Battalion had reached the
famous sector behind Chateau-Thierry. Battal-
ion Headquarters, after ten days at Saacy, was
moved to La Fertd-sous-Jouarre ; Company B
was billeted at Montmenard, and Company D,
some 1500 yards distant at Rougeville. The near-
est front line, held at first by the Second and later
by the Twenty-sixth Division, was about nine
miles away. We had no sooner been lodged in this
busy neighborhood than Battalion Headquarters
opened its campaign to secure us a field for action.
Reconnaissances by the staff and by the company
commanders and project reports based on their
results were followed by numerous interviews
with the corps and division authorities. The usual
activities of information, persuasion, education,
exhortation, and "watchful waiting" were heart-
ily pursued at every opportunity and in every
combination. Partly, however, because of the un-
stable and informal condition of the front, partly
because the probability of both a German offen-
sive and an Allied counter-offensive was in the

56 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

air, and partly because plans for gas warfare
seemed to many to be novel and even trivial, no
practical opening was given us; and two weeks
slipped by with our powers regretfully unused.

There was little to be done to fill the time. The
men, who naturally chafed at the lack of op-
portunities for which they had so long and so
carefully been trained, had to occupy them-
selves with cleaning up the villages, undergoing
gas-mask drills, playing games, taking "hikes,"
bathing in the Marne, and occasionally digging
projectors into the back orchard and solemnly ex-
huming them again. To such inoffensive duties
there were added weekly chances to visit La
Ferte, or the even less interesting Saacy; and for
the officers the livelier opportunities of a trip now
and then to Paris. That others were at war close
by, was brought home to us by much varied aerial
activity, by shelling once in a while very near to
B Company's village, and by an air raid on La
Fert6, where the railroad station was totally
ruined by bombs.

On July 15 events took a new turn, and the
plot thickened. Early that morning, after several
hours of intense bombardment clearly audible in
our villages, the Germans began a drive which
they planned to make their greatest and perhaps
their last. Assaulting heavily at many points be-

La.Fere^

MJ'"

CHATEAU THIERRY

AND

VESLE SECTORS

Statute Miles

Kilometres

Laon

"<••.*

Sofssons

Ail

kR^

J> €

?N#*ci

"V =;».•■ ■•*

'^N»^ X 'Courlandon*%

Bazoch?
St.Thibadt

^^^^^

Ourcq

Chery, ^(~#"»vj
AT-'le ^onsart*! ,
^;;. _^ 'j%MaCeuil-en,-Doie

~*Fere-cn-Tarden6is * ' '' '

forest of \
Freshes •

Epaux« /»Bezu St.GermainoV/ ^k

^Belleay.^-;—^-^ f '•ipieds .i'iV^":''^-'*:^'
• Tbfcy
'-.Lucy ^^^ Bourescl^es ..

J^ai

Coupru
-Ferte-sous-Jouarre

[Chateau
Thierry

^

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 57

tween Chateau-Thierry and Rheims, they suc-
ceeded in crossing the Marne in several places;
and the menace to Paris grew temporarily greater
than ever. The following day Battalion Head-
quarters was elated by orders, long awaited,
which gave clearance to both companies to under-
take two projector attacks, from an emplacement
behind Vaux and from two positions near the
edge of Belleau Wood, close to Belleau Village.
These chances had long been sought, and the lat-
ter ofTered especially sure prospects of success.
Final preparations immediately began, and we
seemed on the verge of action. In little more than
twenty-four hours, however, our "show" was
"washed out," for the great Franco- American
counter-ofTensive had begun, and the hope of
finding any stationary Boches had vanished. Our
First Corps was straining every nerve to make
the push a rapid success; and, when every ounce
of assistance had become welcome and even neces-
sary, all that we had was at the disposal of the
staff. Our trucks were turned over to haul am-
munition,^ and on the evening of July 18 our men
were ordered toward the rapidly receding front.

At I A.M., after a night march of about six
miles, the two companies reached La Sablon-

* Concerning which Colonel Bunnell, of the loist Engineers,
later wrote in cordial appreciation to the Corps Engineer.

58 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

ni^re, near the Paris-Metz road. There they were
billeted and remained for twenty-four hours,
awaiting orders. Before dawn the next day B
Company left for another six-mile march to La
Croisette Farm where the men were quartered in
shallow dugouts in the woods. Company D later
marched to the village of Champillon. During the
day that these movements were executed the
Twenty-sixth American Division attacked along
their front, advancing to such a depth that the
artillery had soon to move far beyond the old
front line.

Our first role in this great forward movement
consisted in the repairing of roads and the burial
of the dead — necessary tasks for which no other
troops were then available. July 21 both com-
panies spent in the area between Ch§,teau-Thierry
and Torcy, filling shell-holes in the road. The
humdrum character of the work was partly
atoned for by the immense interest of the terri-
tory; for much of the ground had been No Man's
Land the day before, and everywhere lay relics,
grim and otherwise, of two months' fierce fighting.
In every direction was scattered material enough
to satisfy even the instinctive American thirst
for souvenirs. This labor of burial and of repair
continued for a full week, during which both com-
panies covered the neighborhood marked by such

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 59

points as Vaux, Etrepilly, Lucy, Torcy, and
Bouresches. Some grumbling was inevitable
when the men stopped to consider that highly
trained specialists were being used for work that
further to the rear was normally assigned to
Boche prisoners or Chinese laborers. Rain and
mud and the slight shelter afforded by B Com-
pany's holes in the ground helped to make the
task less inspiring than ever; and no relief seemed
in sight. Yet, despite discouragement for the
moment, the work was done, and well done — a
record to be read in favorable reports by the
Corps Engineer to Corps Headquarters, and in
praise given by Brigadier-General Craig, Chief
of Staff of the First Corps. The General stated
that the excellent results we had achieved were
highly appreciated by all. General Liggett, too,
the Corps Commander, pointed out that our work
had been of the first importance, since it served to
maintain practically the entire line of communi-
cation upon which the advancing divisions were
dependent. On July 26 the General relieved the
battalion from duty with the Corps Engineer,
though two days more were later spent in com-
pleting the repair of valuable roads as far forward
as Epieds.

To keep pace with these engineer duties, as
well as to prepare for our true work when the

6o THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

need should arise, both companies and Battalion
Headquarters moved on July 27 to Epaux-Bezu.
The original billets at Montmenard and Rouge-
ville were evacuated and the dump gradually
moved forward to Epaux-Bezu. This town, in a
little valley formed by a tributary of the Ourcq,
had been in German hands not many days be-
fore, and stood empty of all inhabitants, though
choked with the aftermath of war and the ensu-
ing swarms of flies. On the whole, however, the
men's memory of the place is one of luxury, for
the exercise of a little energy resulted in real beds
for all and for many even mirrors and bureaus.

During the first ten days of the American offen-
sive the official opinion prevailed that the front
was too fluid, the general movement too rapid, to
permit gas warfare. Every effort was made by
Major Watson and his staff to make our services
available, and to explain that our repertoire in-
cluded more than heavy projector attacks. The
experience and advice of General Edwards, too,
went to fortify our pleas. We were not fitly used,
however, until Colonel Atkisson had made clear
to the Corps Staff how ready our companies were
to use that neglected method of helping the in-
fantry which could be furnished by Stokes mortar
smoke bombs and thermite. Our insistent volun-
teering happened to coincide with the realization

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 61

of growing losses due to machine-gun opposition.
At length the promise came that our battalion
would be used as soon as possible; and a liaison
officer, with dispatch riders, was promptly ap-
pointed for duty with Corps Headquarters, to aid
us in taking advantage of the first opportunity.
This time we had not long to wait, for on July 29
notification came to prepare for a "show"; and
Captains Berlin and McNamee went forward to
reconnoiter a position in the Bois de Colas, where
heavy shelling was in progress, and to select a
dump site which they located in the northern
part of the Foret de F^re.

Early on the morning of the 30th, detachments
from B and D Companies transported by trucks
to this dump the Stokes mortars and ammunition
needed for the attack already planned. The mor-
tar platoons in each company were brought to
full strength and each divided into two sections,
one resting alternately with the other, and both
ready to move on an hour's notice. The operation
was to be in charge of Lieutenant Hanlon, with
Captain McNamee attached. Early in the after-
noon the gun-crews (32 men from B and 8 from
D with Lieutenant Favre) with additional men
to prepare the ammunition, left for the forward
dump where they worked till about 9 p.m. At that
hour the combat wagons, accompanied by the

62 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

gun-crews, moved out, carrying the material (8
mortars with 240 bombs and charges) from the
forest dump forward to Villers-sur-Fere. The
carrying party, composed of 20 men from B and
60 from D under Lieutenant Swarts, had left
Epaux-Bezu at dusk, but did not reach Villers
until after 10 p.m. Further delay ensued while
assurance was sought and found that Division
Headquarters had definitely decided upon a
Stokes mortar attack early the following morn-
ing. By this time it was nearly 12 o'clock. Villers-
sur-Fere was subject to continual shell-fire, and
some mustard gas infested the vicinity. The night
was dark and the route unfamiliar. Men and ma-
terial would both have been scattered and lost if
they had advanced in small groups at wide inter-
vals ; so the risk was necessarily taken of forming
one long line. And at midnight the carrying began.
Two letters from men have so vividly described
that carry, that their words here follow: "Our
own guns," writes Sergeant Williams of Com-
pany D, "were firing over our heads. We heard
the sputter of machine-guns distinctly, and there
came an occasional distant whine of an enemy
shell. Our loads were heavy, but all went well un-
til a terrible thunderous crash almost in our line.
There was a rain of rocks, shell fragments, and
clay ringing on steel helmets. We had had our

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 63

first experience in shell-fire. There was a nervous
laugh, a muttered curse, a hoarse command, and
we stumbled on. No one was hurt, although I
think each one of us pinched ourselves to make
sure that we still lived. A few yards and another
shell burst near us, then a third and fourth. Now
we turned, and the shells were singing harmlessly
o^.er our heads, and we breathed more freely,
when there came a crash just above our heads,
then another. Four men went down, not to rise
again. Two were instantly killed, the others died
before they could be taken to the dressing station.
One of these was Lieutenant Hanlon of B Com-
pany. The others were all B Company men. We
had had our first experience of fallen comrades.
After a terrible length of time we reached the gun
position, then started back to our dump, which
we reached in safety. We had had our baptism of
fire."

We can read the same story with a little fuller
detail, in the words of Private First Class Willis
B. Wagener of Company B: "The route led
through town and down into a marshy patch of
thin woods. The line had just gotten well down
into the low ground when German shells began
falling in the wood, and one hit within 15 or 20
feet of the column, sending a blast of clods and
earth over the men near by. A sergeant runs along

64 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

to know whether any one is hurt. Some are
slightly dazed, but fate has been kind, and the
column moves on again. Shells begin to fall
thickly now, and the men listen for them, to be
prepared to duck in case they should fall close by.
Several shells break near and pieces whiz through
the column, miraculously missing the men, and
bury themselves in trees beyond. The way grows
muddier and slippery, and the loads are becoming
heavier all the time. We turn and cross a small
bridge. One or two of the men slip in the mud and
fall with their loads. On we go and make another
turn, this time coming up alongside of a low bank
into which a company of infantrymen are dug in
small burrows. 'Are you going to relieve us?' one
of them asks, and we reply in the negative. We
pass along down the bank and the shells fall close
again. One sends another shower of clods over
the men near, and one man is shell-shocked and
crawls off to the side. On we go, and turn another
corner into a marshy meadow. We slop along in
this up to our ankles in mud and water, and then
lie down along a low bank for a few seconds' rest.
'Here's a man hurt,' some one calls, and the
stretcher men run up. One of the men (we find out
later that he is Merkel) has an ugly shrapnel
wound in the head. A volunteer is asked for the
stretcher and several respond. Webb of D Com-

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 65

pany is selected, and Merkel is carried away while
the rest of us prepare to move on. The shells are
falling to our rear now, and we pass along another
bank where more infantry are dug in. We clear
the bank and follow along a line of willow trees. A
small patch of woods appears ahead, and the car-
rying party lies down just inside of it while a de-
cision is made as to where the ammunition is to
be placed. While we lie there machine-gun bullets
whistle from the hill to one side of us and hit
among the trees behind and beyond us. Then the
order comes to pick up our loads, and we pass into
the wood and are relieved of them. A short rest in
the woods, which we discover covers a sand bank
about 40 feet high. Evidently this is to be the posi-
tion. Then the carrying party is counted, and we
learn that Privates Guilefuss and Panuska have
been killed on the road up, and Lieutenant Han-
Ion mortally wounded. They were on the extreme
end of the column as we came up, and a shell
made almost a direct hit on them.

**As the carrying party went out they passed
Panuska and Guilefuss, lying partly facing each
other and almost half turned over on their backs.
We could not stop, however, for time was pre-
cious, and though the shelling had stopped, there
was no telling when it might begin again. The
return to the trucks was made safely, and as

66 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

we loaded on, we learned that Merkel and Lieu-
tenant Hanlon were dead. It was a shaken and
sorrowing crowd that left for the home billets
shortly afterwards just as dawn was breaking.
But the determination to see the enemy van-
quished was stronger than ever. And we knew
what war was."

These accounts at first hand make the story
almost complete; but they naturally fail to em-
phasize enough the magnificent conduct of the
men under the severest conditions. To their be-
havior Captain McNamee,^ our British friend
attached to the party, has been eager to bear
testimony. He has stated that the work of the de-
tachment was quite the most wonderful exhibi-
tion of carrying under difficulties that he had ever
seen. The shelling to which they were subjected
(mainly from heavy artillery) was as extreme as
he had ever encountered on the British front; the
carry was two miles long in the pitch darkness
over a muddy and unfamiliar path ; a majority of
the men had never been really under fire before;
and many of them carried as much as a hundred
pounds of weight. Yet, from beginning to end,
every man kept in line, no one complained or
shirked ; and when, at the close, men and material

^ For his gallantry In action Captain McNamee was later
awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. See Appendix E.

LIEUTENANT JOSEPH T. HAXLON

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 67

were counted, not a man was missing save the
killed, nor a single load abandoned save those
that had been borne by the fallen. Of that record
the regiment is proud.

For what we had achieved the price was not
easy to pay. Privates Guilefuss, Panuska, and
Merkel were mourned as the first men we had lost
since The Thirtieth had begun its independent
career. And the death of Joe Hanlon was a loss
that hurt keenly.^ At first in Company A and then
in B, he had won in two companies a greater de-
votion and affection than were accorded to any
other officer — an afTection which spread beyond
his own unit to the whole regiment. Men, on
every hand, were prompt to say and to write of
how deeply they felt so sudden a loss. He won
our friendship and admiration not only by his
gayety and charm, but also by a life and a record
that were transparently clean and straight. It has
been good for us all to have known him, and in this
regiment his name will always be held in honor. ^

' Hanlon was so severely wounded that he died on the way to
the dressing-station. He was buried with full military honors in
the cemetery at Chaumont, on August 2. Guilefuss and Panuska
were buried two days later where they fell.

* American Expeditionary Forces

Headquarters, Services of Supply
Office Chief of Chemical Warfare Service

Augtist 30, 1918
I. Hereafter the Experimental Field, Chemical Warfare Serv-
ice, will be known as " Hanlon Field" Chemical Warfare Service,

68 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

As a result of the indomitable carrying which
brought us these casualties, our men had suc-
ceeded in bringing up all the guns and ammuni-
tion to a Battalion P.C.^ as near as was advis-
able to the emplacement. After the reassembled
party had been counted and allowed a short rest
till almost 3 A.M., they made the journey safely
back to Epaux-Bezu.

Meanwhile, the attack which had been planned
for the early morning was called off by orders
given to the battalion with which we were working.
The gun-crews, however, remained at their posts,
awaiting later orders to operate. Throughout that
day the whole neighborhood was continually
shelled, but the crews, with Captain McNamee

in honor of Lieutenant J. T. Hanlon, Company B, First Gas
Regiment, who was killed in action July 30, 1918, near Villers-
sur-Fere while engaged in conducting a carrying party to the site
of a proposed Stokes mortar operation in support of an infantry
attack when the Germans were being driven back from the Marne
to the Vesle.

2. Lieutenant Hanlon is the first officer of the Chemical War-
fare Service to be killed in action. He was an officer of unusual
promise, great ability, high ideals, every inch a soldier and one
who was loved by all who knew him. In his death the Service
suffered a serious loss, and as the Experimental Field typifies in
its various activities the very soul of the Chemical Warfare Serv-
ice, it is most fitting that it should bear the name of one who in
his youthful life typified all that is good in the Service.

By direction of Chief of Chemical Warfare Service.

J. D. Law,

Second Lieutenant Engineers,

Acting Adjutant.

1 Poste de Commandement or Headquarters.

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 69

and Lieutenants Favre and Swarts in charge,
stuck to their guns. Their water supply a spring
out in the meadow, the approach to which could
be swept by German machine-guns, without blan-
kets and with only iron rations until the last day,
the men lived there for three days, dug into the
sand and constantly exposed to shell fire. In that
time they executed four attacks.

During this period of expectancy the company
commanders kept in touch with the 83d Brigade
on our left and the 84th on our right, while the
battalion commander maintained liaison with the
headquarters of both the Corps and the Forty-
second Division. Orders came before noon for two
operations, and final preparations were carried
out. In the course of these, while carrying the
material forward to the gun emplacements. Cor-
poral Devereaux and Private First Class Evans of
Company B were wounded, and later in the day
Private First Class Purvis of D. Both operations
were in connection with the tactical plan of the
165th Infantry, part of whose sector we occupied.
The first, which took place at 2 p.m., was directed
against two enemy targets. At one of them, some
three quarters of a kilometer distant, we shot
about 60 thermite bombs to disperse assembling
troops. At the other (the Bois Bruli and Ferme
Meurcy) we fired 60 smoke and 20 thermite bombs

70 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

by way of feigning an attack. The second opera-
tion, carried out at 5.15 p.m., included 60 smoke
and 40 thermite bombs, the former to furnish a
screen for infantry patrols, the latter to disperse
machine-gun nests. While no infantry advance
accompanied our performance, both operations
were reported successful by the commanding offi-
cer of the First Battalion of the 165th. The Boches
were intensely alarmed, rushed madly about in all
directions, and incidentally evacuated their strong
position at the Farm.^

Since our ammunition was now all expended,
and further calls for action were expected at any
moment, carrying of material was resumed that
evening and continued the next. Otherwise Au-
gust I passed without incident for us. On that day,
however, the Fourth Division began gradually to
relieve the Forty-second.

Early on the following morning (August 2) there
were executed two more attacks from the same
position — both for the purpose of protecting the
advancing infantry. The earlier at 4 A.M. included
80 smoke and 40 thermite bombs, the later at
8.45 A.M. 60 thermite and 40 smoke. These attacks
were so far successful that the infantry were not
subjected to machine-gun jEire while advancing
behind our screen. Later in the day, with an en-

^ As reported by both infantry and aviators.

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 71

viable record of hardships endured and of four
attacks well executed, the men were all sent back
to billets in Epaux-Bezu.^

On August 3, the enemy, abandoning the line
of the Ourcq, began his second long retreat, halt-
ing this time at the Vesle. The American troops
were therefore able to progress rapidly; and both
our companies and Battalion Headquarters fol-
lowed the advance. After a long evening's march,
ending in darkness and rain, our men arrived at
Villers-sur-Fere, and were billeted there. On that
day, too. Captain McNamee, accompanied by
Lieutenants Favre and Jabine and two sergeants,
reconnoitered at least ten miles in advance of our
first position ; but in spite of moving ahead of our
infantry, they could find no Boches. The next day,
to keep up with the procession, advance par-
ties of Companies B and D moved forward again
to Moreuil-en-Dole, there to prepare billets. The
work of reconnaissance and of liaison with Di-
vision and Regimental Headquarters continued,
and fully organized Stokes mortar platoons stood
ready for further action. It was only, however,
after costly attempts to advance without smoke
screens that the infantry consented to receive as-
sistance. While this game of watchful waiting was

* General Craig was subsequently very complimentary on
what we had done.

72 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

in progress, an order from Corps was sent to Divi-
sion Headquarters relieving our companies from
connection with any battalion in the line. This wel-
come measure prevented the further need for our
men to sit at the front and wait, sometimes for
longer periods than the infantry units, and allowed
us to carry out the policy of billeting our men in
the rear and rushing them forward when they were
needed.

On the morning of August 5 reconnaissance was
made by Captain McNamee and Lieutenants
Stoepker, Hall, and Rideout as far as St. Thibaut,
where a suitable emplacement was found. To bring
the men nearer to this scene of action, Lieutenants
H. C. Williams, Smiley, and Miller with 60 men
from each company, moved forward in the after-
noon to Chery Chartreuve and established billets
there. The men encountered not only rain and
mud and a volume of noise from our own neigh-
boring artillery, but also heavy shelling from the
enemy. In the course of this. Corporal Martin of
D Company was killed while standing in the door-
way of his billet. -

In the evening Lieutenant Stoepker, with 20
men and three wagons provided by the infantry,
attempted to haul ammunition from the dump in
the northeast edge of the Foret-en-Dole to the
position at St. Thibaut. Bombardment of the town

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 73

and its environs, meanwhile, continued heavily.
Stimulated by this, and fortified by a conviction
that the Germans had not yet finally evacuated

St. Thibaut, a battalion of the Infantry had

just retreated from the place. The warnings of one
of its officers, added to the approach of daylight,
spread dismay to the wagoners, whom neither
threats nor persuasion could force nearer than
800 yards to the village. At that point, therefore,
the material had to be unloaded. Quite the oppo-
site effect, however, was produced upon Lieuten-
ant Rideout and his ten men who had been or-
dered to proceed to St. Thibaut to unload the
wagons. To St. Thibaut they proceeded, and unas-
sisted, occupied and held the town until the fol-
lowing noon. Our regiment, having already sup-
plied burial details, road gangs, covering parties,
and projector and mortar experts, was more than
ready to furnish an advance patrol, and to supple-
ment with a little valor the greater discretion of

the Infantry. The imperturbed gallantry of

that garrison of eleven is another incident that we
recall with pride.

During the course of the same day the majority
of D Company moved to billets in Moreuil-en-
Dole, where they were joined on the next day by
Company B. Battalion Headquarters, meanwhile,
had moved to a point near Seringes — a town

74 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

where our main dump was in process of formation.
The billets in Villers had been in unsanitary sur-
roundings, and water had been both distant and
scarce. The new quarters offered improved condi-
tions, but none really wholesome were available in
that distressed area.

At 9.30 on the morning of August 6 the two
Stokes mortar platoons set out from Ch4ry Char-
treuve to the temporary advance dump which we
had been forced to make 800 yards from St. Thi-
baut. They had already succeeded in carrying
some of this material to a cellar in the town, when
they were welcomed by a heavy bombardment
from our own artillery; for as a reward for holding
the town we were probably mistaken for Boches.
The men were immediately directed to take shel-
ter; and to assist them and their load to safety,
Sergeant Craig of B Company stood in the center
of the road, during the shelling, to guide them to
the right dugout. With some of the men and part of
the ammunition. Captain Berlin and Lieutenants
Stoepker and Riedout were in a wine-cellar, part of
which was soon blown in by the explosion of a large
caliber shell, which imprisoned the party for some
time. A pause in the firing occurring, the men suc-
ceeded in prying their way out ; but immediately
afterward Lieutenant Stoepker had to be carried
to the dressing station, suffering from shell shock.

CHATEAU-THIERRY

SUNKEN ROAD NEAR ST. THIBAUT

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 75

This unexpected greeting from the rear resulted
in a speedy decision to abandon the original ad-
vance position and to set the guns in a sunken
road to the southwest end of the village — an un-
usually safe spot. Meantime a telephone mes-
sage to Division Headquarters had called off the
American contribution to our discomfort. We got
them to increase their range. The men were there-
fore withdrawn at once from the village, and car-
rying to the new emplacement proceeded. The
area still remained dangerous, for between 2 and
2.15 P.M., Private Whitely of D Company was
killed and Private First Class Wagener and Pri-
vate Prescott of B Company were both slightly
wounded. We had almost concluded by this time
that the troops with whom we were seeking to co-
operate could hardly be expecting us to attack;
but a trip by Captain McNamee to Division Head-
quarters served to assure us that a "show" was
called for at 4.30 p.m. Preparations were therefore
continued and completed.

At 4.30 five Stokes mortars, with B and D Com-
pany crews under Lieutenants Smiley and Miller ^
opened up, throwing heavy smoke bombs to screen
the advancing infantry and to enable the engi-
neers to throw bridges across the Vesle. During

^ Other officers directing and observing from an elevated posi-
tion near by were Captains McNamee and Berlin, Lieutenant H.
C. Williams and Lieutenant Rideout.

76 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

the next hour and a quarter we threw over 332
rounds, maintaining the screen, while our artillery
was also busy in active cooperation. Under the
resulting erratic and ineffective enemy fire, the
troops on our right crossed the Vesle, and estab-
lished themselves on the north bank. With the
same opportunities afforded by our fire, the bat-
talion on our left failed to appear — their failure
also preventing the engineers from achieving their
mission. We had played our part, however, with
entire success, not only by furnishing the desired
smoke screen, but also by starting numerous fires
in the enemy village of Bazoches.

That evening the men were withdrawn to
Ch€ry, and the following morning both Stokes
mortar platoons returned to join the main body
at Moreuil-en-Dole. Activity of Company D con-
tinued, however; for during August 7 and 8 com-
plete preparations were twice made for prospective
attacks from the recent position. Ammunition
was prepared, the guns ready, and carrying in prog-
ress, when each time orders were canceled by
Division Headquarters, and the men had to return
to Moreuil.

By August 9 the offensive movement was nearly
over ; the lines had begun to stabilize ; and recon-
naissance for projector positions began near St.
Thibaut. In fact D Company had already begun

CHATEAU-THIERRY OFFENSIVE 77

preparing thermite bombs for the projector at-
tack executed at a later date by B. Company D
had for three or four days been operating more or
less independently with the Fourth Division. Ac-
tivity by B was postponed pending orders to at-
tach them either to a division or to the Third
Corps which was then in process of moving in. By
August 1 1 all special equipment had been carried
out of the line and assembled at Moreuil ; and the
following day both companies, whose future was
still in doubt, moved back to La Grange-aux-Bois
Farm, south of F^re-en-Tardenois. The men were
all weary, many were suffering from dysentery,
and every one welcomed a rest much needed and
richly deserved.

The part of The Thirtieth in the great counter-
offensive was over; but how valuable had been
our share we did not realize fully until we were
treated to the rare and rewarding spectacle of the
staffs of two army corps fighting to see which could
secure our services! General Craig of the First
Corps (then about to move) insisted on taking the
whole battalion with him, and refused to part
with either company. He stated that he would
under no circumstances give up a unit that had so
fully shown its ability to help the infantry, and
that had also at its command the only effective
method of dispersing machine-gun nests. The

78 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Third Corps, however, got orders from General
Headquarters, securing the services of Company B.
So D alone remained with the First, and made
preparations to join in their coming movement.

By a constant readiness to serve in any capacity
and to make good when needed, we had won
during those three memorable weeks valuable ex-
perience and gratifying recognition. The achieve-
ments of the battalion, under hazardous and novel
conditions, made the whole regiment proud of the
past and more confident than ever of the future.

CHAPTER VI

THE STABILIZED FRONTS IN JULY AND AUGUST

The first gas attack during July was carried out
by Company C of the Provisional Battalion. Be-
fore leaving the camp at Lagney on June 30, Com-
pany B, assisted by part of Company C, reset
most of the projectors west of Fey-en-Haye — the
position used for their attack of June 18. All the
officers and non-commissioned officers of C Com-
pany and about half the remaining men were bil-
leted in the same quarters at Belgrade that had
been used by B Company. The general setting, in
terms of location, carry, and target, was a repeti-
tion of the earlier "show." Similar, too was the
period of necessary waiting for favorable weather
conditions. This interval, however, though longer,
was less monotonous than it had been for the pre-
ceding company. One night was enlivened by a suc-
cessful French raid. Later, during the evening of
July I, an enemy shell, probably intended for the
batteries beyond us, fell short in the road near the
men's billets. The explosion wounded six men —
Sergeant Goldsmith, and Privates A. Ferguson,
P. J. Johnson, S. J. Dunton, L. Livingston, and
H. H. Livasy — all of whom were painfully, though

8o THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

not dangerously, injured. Early the following morn-
ing the camp was again roused, this time by a gas
alarm — an interesting experience which proved
not to be justified by the presence of any gas.
But it was not only these exceptional incidents
which redeemed the week from being one of mere
waiting. Beginning on July 3, Company C began
to furnish its own covering parties. Flanked by a
similar French party, 36 of our men protected the
approach to our position along some 400 yards of
front-line trench. In this work, continued for ten
nights, nearly all of the company shared; and
despite the lack of any previous training, the be-
havior of the men, under hazardous conditions,
was altogether gratifying.

Nearly ten days of waiting ended with the an-
nouncement on July 8 that "zero" hour would be
at 1 1 P.M. that night. The requisite wind was blow-
ing at about six miles per hour, and the night was
clear. Five hundred and sixty- two projectors had
been installed. At 11.06 p.m. 404 of these were
fired. Within ten minutes all the men had been
withdrawn, without casualties, to Belgrade. About
one o'clock our covering party went out to join
the French, and at dawn a detail was sent to the
position for camouflage. The enemy retaliation
during all this time was even more negligible than
after the action in June. Three minutes after the

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 81

attack the Germans sent up a white light, and
some twenty-five minutes later a few shells were
fired over our heads to the areas beyond. No
further reaction could be observed. Our own tardi-
ness in firing arose from the fact that the enemy
observation balloons kept the party from the posi-
tion until 9.20 P.M. and thus delayed the necessary
preparations. After the first "shoot" rewiring of
the unfired projectors was attempted, but too late
to permit the men to fire by 11. 10, the necessary
minimum of time if they were to obey orders to be
off the position by 11. 15. It was therefore impos-
sible to atone for the fundamental difficulty —
defective wiring.

Within four days all the material had been re-
trieved; Belgrade was again evacuated; and C
Company was ready for another round.

A Company, meanwhile (with Captain Pond
now in command), had been going through the un-
inspiring process of salvaging unexploded bombs
from both of its old positions, digging out the pro-
jectors in number 2, and resetting those in the
Bois de Jury. This company, too, furnished its own
covering parties. While such work was in prog-
ress, regimental and battalion plans had made
possible the transfer of A to a distant and in-
dependent field of action. By July 5, after com-
pleting a lively series of inter-platoon ball games

82 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

and enjoying a lavish Fourth of July dinner pro-
vided by the Y.M.C.A., the company was ready
for departure. Part of the second platoon set out
that day; and three days later, the rest of the com-
pany began a railway journey in French box-cars
through Nancy and Epinal and into the fir-clad
Vosges mountains — a trip in which scenery hardly
compensated for much delay and fatigue, and
which ended, after a short truck ride, in the village
of Clefcy, less than two miles from the borders
of Alsace. Here, in unusually beautiful mountain
country, the men again addressed themselves to
the task (familiar by now to all the regiment) of
cleaning up and settling down.

Opportunity in the new field opened up at once,
for within forty-eight hours of its arrival part
of the second platoon, under Lieutenants Morey
and Greenstone, moved to forward billets, where
three days later, it was joined by the remainder.
This move, to a position called Nicolas-Superi-
eur,^ was in anticipation of an operation order is-
sued on July 17. The order announced the com-
ing " show" as one of 258 guns, to cover a target
known as the Monchberg ^ where numerous enemy
dugouts were concealed in the woods. Our forward
dump, to which the trucks could carry men and

^ Where the men were quartered in wooden barracks four

miles from the front line.

2 One kilometer south of Stosswihr. See map.

.- p o o !■
■ o

- ■•> — Mwlhat

■'■■'1 "^ B^ I

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 83

material, was at Spitzenfels. There 80 mules took
up the task of bringing the ammunition uphill to
within 100 yards of the emplacement. The usual
long carry for the men was thereby practically
eliminated; but, by way of compensation, it was
necessary for them to march from their barracks
for an hour and a half down to the position, and
at the close of work, to toil uphill again for nearly
two hours. Though the digging, too, was very
difficult, it was all completed in two nights, and
another night saw the loading and wiring finished.
Only 220 projectors had been dug in, for the au-
thorities of the Twenty-first French Division, in
whose sector we were operating, cut short our
preparation by calling for action on July 18. Dur-
ing these few nights of work the platoon was en-
tirely unmolested, since neither the billets nor the
emplacement area received any attention from the
enemy.

The day before the action "zero" was an-
nounced as "18 hours," and on July 18 at 6 p.m.
Company A's second platoon executed the first
daylight "shoot" — a rarity in the annals of gas
warfare. The position was in plain view of the
Boches, but the exploders had been placed be-
hind a "camouflaged" road. With a west-north-
west wind blowing at about 14 miles an hour,
179 bombs were shot ofT (eighty-one per-cent) —

84 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

a discrepancy due chiefly to poor exploders, and
one which might have been promptly atoned for
if there had been darkness to permit further work.
The retaliation was trifling — a few distant and
scattering shots about 6.15 and a little subse-
quent shelling on French battery positions. By
6.30 most of the men were sent back to their
battery positions, while Lieutenant Morey, Ser-
geant Cobun, and Corporal Meyers went out to
inspect the batteries. Corporal Graves soon after
went to the guns to put in the bomb-pins. These
"plus-zero" activities were in full daylight view
of the enemy, yet (save for some sniping close to
Graves) they passed undisturbed. The next night
the whole quantity of material was salvaged, and
by June 22 most of the platoon had rejoined the
company at Clefcy.

Company A did not have to wait long for its
next opportunity. It was learned from the Head-
quarters of the Twenty-first French Division that
"intelligence" revealed German efforts to prepare
for the capture of the Tete du Violu, a large hill
in the Anould sector. Advanced trenches were
being constructed and that portion of the German
line was more populous and busy than usual. The
time was ripe for a blow that should harass these
new positions and put a stop to the further organi-
zation of an advance. We therefore received not

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 85

merely "clearance" but encouragement to com-
plete the job quickly. On July 27, four days before
the issue of formal operation orders, the fourth
platoon and part of the first were sent to forward
billets, and on July 31 the third (Stokes mortar)
platoon followed. These forward billets at the
Post "La Cude," many of which were occupied
by French infantry, consisted of shacks and dug-
outs clustered above and below a broad road
which wound through the woods along a steep
hillside. The men's sleeping quarters were unpro-
tected huts; but ample dugouts were adjacent;
and the shelter they afforded, together with the
sharp slope of the hill, made safety as easily avail-
able as it was frequently desirable. The men, too,
were not wholly without small comforts, thanks
to Mr. Hopkins, our devoted Y.M.C.A. worker.

The operation orders for the coming "show"
required two projector emplacements, totaling
500 guns. These were designated as S and S^;
150 guns from S were to hit one target (A) and
250 another target (B), which was also the target
for the 100 guns in position S^ Seven Stokes mor-
tars, in addition, were to fire 300 bombs upon a
third target (C) from a position S^ close to S^
The main position S was almost on a level with
the camp and not more than 500 yards from its
center. Ox teams were used to transport the muni-

86 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

tions from the village of Quebrux (three and one
half miles away) where the trucks had to stop.
For the workers at S, therefore, the carry was
short and easy. The emplacement was in rough
pasture ground at the edge of the woods, open
to observation by day, but easily concealed by
camouflage. The other two positions, however,
called for an uphill march through wood paths
of nearly a mile and a subsequent short but very
trying carry of 200 yards straight up a sharp in-
cline through deep trenches. The projector posi-
tion here was just forward of the front line trenches
in wrecked and battered ground that had once
been a forest. Though the enemy was not more
than 180 yards away, French outposts intervened
between us and him. At these points and under
these conditions work progressed as rapidly as
the difficulties of transportation would permit.
Under the direction of Lieutenant Noble, assisted
by Lieutenants Greenstone and B. Williams, 340
projectors had been dug in by July 30 and the
full number by August i. The Stokes mortars, of
which Lieutenant Cooper was in charge, were
then set up; loading and wiring was completed;
and by August 3 everything was ready.

The French commanders at the two posts of
La Cude and Nacquard were most cordial fellow-
workers. Every visit to them and their officers,

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 87

for reports and instructions, was the occasion for
a miniature entertainment, in which Noble's cour-
ageous monosyllabic patois was always a welcome
addition to the otherwise French conversation.
Our officers, too, had the refreshing opportunity
to enjoy both the cuisine and the companionship
of the French officers' mess.

Throughout this period of preparation both our
ally and our enemy conspired to make our home
in the woods a spot full of liveliness and risk. The
first offensive move of the French was the harmless
one of shooting over to the Boches in rifle grenades
thousands of propaganda leaflets urging the weary
Germans to a social revolution as the only solution
of the war. Pending their acceptance of this advice,
the French trench mortar batteries bombarded
the enemy trenches for a time each day from
July 31 to August 4. The prompt result was invari-
ably a retaliation which from our point of view
seemed always to exceed the original attack. On
four different days the woods around us were sub-
jected to intermittent shelling, at times very
heavy. During one of these periods, a "dud" shell
pierced the little French Y.M.C.A. shack and tore
off a Frenchman's leg below the knee. Prompt
assistance was rendered by five of our men who
bound up his leg and carried him, during the con-
tinuation of the bombardment, three hundred

88 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

yards up to the dressing-station.^ This artillery
activity culminated in a violent "bombardment
of destruction" on August 3, from 645 to 8.45
P.M., during which the French batteries of all cal-
ibers threw over 3000 shells and 2000 trench mor-
tar bombs. Their aim was to demolish the suspi-
cious pioneer and construction work upon which
the Germans had been recently engaged, and then
to offer them two days of quiet, at the end of which
their activity at busy repairing might make them
good targets for gas. The ultimate results amply
justified the undertaking. The immediate result,
though, was a return bombardment — forty min-
utes longer than the French — which kept our
men housed for a long time but brought no casu-
alties. In the subsequent raid, however, executed
by the French, nine French wounded were cared
for during that night by Dr. McKee.

To take its proper place in these series of attacks,
our day and hour of action was announced as
August 5 at II P.M. During that morning the
Boches shelled our woods at intervals ; but in our
last work before shooting we were quite unmo-
lested. That evening Major Crawford and Cap-
tain Wilson took their station at Regimental and
Captain Pond at Battalion Headquarters; and

1 Private First Class C. W. Proctor and Privates W. Baker,
C. J. Ross, C S. Dean, and H. M. Carson.

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 89

the platoons proceeded to the emplacements to
put on the finishing touches. Those working with
the projectors had their exploders in safe positions
close to dugouts ; but the Stokes mortar men (who
had one gun in a dugout, one in a shell hole, and
the rest in a trench) were in a highly exposed posi-
tion on the crest of a hill.^

The wind had for some time been steadily favor-
able, and at "zero" hour was blowing from the
west at seven miles per hour. The sky was misty
and overcast. At a few seconds before zero the
batteries in position S were exploded, the Stokes
mortars followed at once, and then the projectors
in S^ Immediately after the discharge the pro-
jector men went to inspect the guns. Every bomb
in position S had gone over. In position S^ a whole
battery was found unexploded. This was at once
reported by Private McCray,^ and he and Ser-
geant Neal ^ and Horseshoer Arthur, ^ after going
out with another exploder, in the face of enemy
bombardment, and tracing all the wires, discov-
ered that the original exploder had never been
used, and at once set off the discharge, making one
hundred per-cent total for S^ In the course of
their work both McCray and Sergeant Neal were
gassed by a Stokes mortar "short." Meantime,

1 Tgte du Violu.

' Recommended for the D.S.C. See Appendix E.

90 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

the Stokes mortar crews, under Lieutenant Cooper
and Sergeants McConnell and Kelly, had been
doing admirably cool and effective work under
most difficult conditions. Early in the game the
bombs jammed in three guns and the rest of the
ammunition had to be shot by the remaining four.
One of these shot 86 bombs. The necessary delay
brought the duration of the action well within the
time of enemy retaliation, and during the last six
minutes of work trench mortar bombs and ma-
chine-gun fire made the position almost untenable.
In spite of these risks, however, all the crews had
joined the first platoon by 11.20 in a deep and
capacious dugout, with a ninety-eight per-cent rec-
ord to their credit and no losses. The enemy re-
taliation was heavy from 11.07 onward for over
half an hour. Shells fell on all the positions and
within the area of the billets. Camouflage work
was therefore not attempted until after midnight.
It was then carried out in comparative safety, and
before two o'clock the last man was securely housed
in the home dugouts at La Cude. An unrestful
three hours then ensued, until at 5 a.m. began the
artillery accompaniment of three French raids,
calling down upon us a heavier retaliation than
ever. Further spasms of shelling occurred off and
on till nearly 10 — after which there was a reign
of peace until after our final departure.

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 91

The night of August 6 was occupied with sal-
vaging the material at SS and the following night
with resetting the projectors in position S — a
well-placed group which was left behind for fu-
ture reference. When this work was over, soon
after midnight, the men marched down to the vil-
lage of Quebrux, and at nine o'clock on the 8th were
brought back in trucks to Clefcy. Our ten days'
work had achieved the best "show" yet recorded
to the credit of The Thirtieth. Major Crawford and
his staff were warm in their praise of the company's
achievements, and the French Division Comman-
der sent the following letter to Captain Pond :

[Translation]
With the Armies — August 6, 191 8

General Dauvin, Commanding the 21st Division of

Infantry
To Captain Pond, Commanding Company A of the
30th Spedal Battalion, U.S.

Co. A of the 30th Special Battalion U.S. has just
completed with entire success two projector operations
on the front of the Anould sector.

This result is due to the brilliant qualities of your
officers and men who, under your energetic leadership,
have known how to triumph over all the extreme diffi-
culties encountered in the execution of their task, with
never a thought for the efforts made or the danger
incurred.

I express to you and beg you to transmit to Captain
Wilson of the British Army and to all the officers and
men of your unit my sincere compliments and thanks.

92 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Our highest reward, however, came in the form
of an unconscious tribute from the enemy. Tele-
phone conversations among the Boches, over-
heard by the French, revealed the fact that within
a few hours of our attack they had lost between 80
and 100 killed.^ That less than 150 men should be
able to cause at least that many casualties among
the enemy and have but two men slightly wounded,
is a striking instance of the power of offensive gas
warfare when skillfully conducted. ^

Upon the return of the men to Clefcy, village
life was given a new dash of color and interest by
the unexpected arrival of ten horses and thirty-
five mules. The latter began at once to prove more
dangerous than the enemy. It was a nervous mo-
ment, too, for those expert mechanics and elec-
tricians whom, without thought of being taken

^ The following is a translation of the conversation overheard:
" It is beginning again — Grenades on No. 53. Do you hear on
53? Here Schattenburg — so be careful. If it starts again, answer.
Anyway, we have to come back on the 137. Yes, yes. We have to
reoccupy the post immediately. The non-commissioned officer
must stay. He is the faulty one — yes, let's go on the 137. For-
ward on 137. Here Bauer. What happened? More than 80 to 100
killed. What 80? Yes, come up at once. Yes, carry away half of
them. What is new? If the non-commissioned officer does not suc-
ceed, Bauer will go up with a detachment and will take care of
this affair. Here Bauer. I remain at observation. Are there any of
the enemies? Yes, the 5th announces that the enemy have occu-
pied the emplacement. God damn it. The observers of the 5th
have seen the enemy."

2 Captain Wilson, R.E. of the British Army, attached to the
battalion, stated that A Company's attack was the nearest ap-
proach to an ideal "show" that he had ever seen.

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 93

literally, we had promoted to the grade of "horse-
shoer"; but increasing deftness and caution es-
tablished right relations after only one casualty.

Before moving out to prepare for the next oper-
ation, Company A had regretfully to part with
Lieutenant Morey who left us to join the Bureau
of Construction and Forestry as waterworks ex-
pert.^ Morey had been with the company since
the days of organization at American University,
and had played a full and active part in all its
work. For steadiness and efficiency his record
could not have been better; and as a genial and
faithful friend all of us valued him highly and
missed him heartily.

The next attack by Company A was on the
ways the moment the previous one had been
launched, for on August 7, the night the pla-
toons left Violu, Captain Pond was ordered by the
Commanding Officer of the Thirty-third French
Corps to report to the Commanding Officer of the
Twenty-second French Division, prepared to rec-
onnoiter for a new projector position. Reconnais-
sance by Captains Pond and Wilson resulted in
orders five days later to carry out an operation;
and on August 13, the second and fourth platoons
started on trucks for a trip of over thirty miles

^ He was later promoted and assigned as Major to the 26th
Engineers.

94 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

south to Weiler. The journey over winding moun-
tain roads (where at one point fifteen successive
"hair-pin curves" occurred) brought them across
to German soil. The whole "show" in fact, in-
cluding even the men's billets, was well within
enemy territory. From Weiler the detachment
marched to Camp Turenne — a steep climb of
nearly three miles ; and there they were quartered
with the French in wooden shacks.

In preparing for this attack most of the difficul-
ties centered in transportation. To carry out our
plans, 35 tons of munitions had to be hauled 65
kilometers over mountain roads to a point (near
Weiler) at which was located the foot of an
electrical aerial tramway. Thence the material
mounted 800 meters to a forward dump, from
which 80 French pack mules carried it to the posi-
tion. That our line of communication was kept
open, in spite of much trouble with trucks, is due
to the able efforts of the company motor detail
under the admirable direction of Sergeant Ahrens.

The emplacement area, where the men began
work on August 15, was reached by a descent of
five kilometers from the billets, which upon each
return trip turned into a lengthening ascent. These
night marches partly made up for the lack of any
"carry"; and the digging in rocky soil filled with
the roots of a shell-torn forest brought added

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 95

labor. In spite of this, only four nights were spent
on the position, and during two of these, the full
quota of 315 guns was dug in. The position was
in the open with only French patrols ahead of us.
Since the target — on the famous Hartmanns
Willerkopf — consisted chiefly of large groups of
minenwerfer batteries, the workers ran constant
risks. Each night either the road or the vicinity
of the guns was subjected to shelling; and on the
second night of work a "flying pig" exploded
close to our party, half burying Lieutenant Wil-
liams and four men — fortunately without injury
to any one.

By the morning of August 20 work was com-
pleted, and the operation ordered to take place
the following day. The wind, however, was not
favorable until the evening of August 23. That
night at 10.30 the entire 315 projectors were shot
off — another record of one hundred per-cent. The
French artillery fired from 10.35 to 10.40. The
men remained in dugouts close to the exploders
until about midnight, when the absence of any
response from the enemy made possible the im-
mediate resetting of 212 of the guns. These would
have been used again two nights later, had not
belated retaliation intervened. On the following
afternoon, from two till five, some 800 minenwerfer
shells were thrown upon the position — a bom-

96 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

bardment so severe that it resulted in knocking
out of the ground nearly all of the guns, though
few were destroyed. Meanwhile, word had ar-
rived from Advanced Regimental Headquarters
ordering Company A to assemble preparatory to
moving. So the projectors were salvaged at once;
by the next morning the men had returned to
Weiler; and by August 28 all men and material
were back again at Clefcy. After detailing a guard
to protect the dump, the company left Clefcy on
August 30 and two days later were billeted at
Laneuville, two miles from Lagney. Company A's
work in the Vosges was over. It had been achieved
with growing skill, and completed with distinc-
tion.^

We had left Company C at Lagney on July 12
ready for another "show." For this the operation
order was issued July 17, and work began at once.
This order called for the firing of projectors from
Company A's old position in the Bois de Jury (D)
and in addition for a "fake" projector discharge
(E) , a smaller projector discharge (F) , and a Stokes

^ Captain Pond's operation report contains these words:
" I wish particularly to recommend Lieutenant George Noble
to the Commanding Officer of the First Gas Regiment for the in-
telligent and forceful way in which he has carried out the last two
operations. . . . [Their success] is due entirely to the excellent
work of the men in the line under Lieutenant Noble's able and
efficient direction, and to the efforts of the motor detail from the
company in keeping material moving forward."

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 97

mortar bombardment (G). The execution of this,
our first complex operation, was aided by A Com-
pany's work, before its departure, in resetting its
former projectors. But bombardment had dis-
turbed their emplacement, and the repair re-
quired, together with the preparation of the three
additional attacks, was a heavy task. In carrying
it out the whole company took part, furnishing all
of the carrying parties and all of the covering par-
ties. The men traveled each day by truck from
Lagney through Mandres, a town under direct
observation and frequently shelled. Later there
ensued a carry of fully half a mile to the position.
On one day, the 19th, the men worked for twenty-
nine hours at a stretch with little food and no re-
lief. During most of this time of labor, there was
the added responsibility of posting covering par-
ties. A divisional relief had resulted in a change of
the front line which left our position in advance of
that line instead of behind it. The need for nightly
guards was therefore imperative. The distance
from the enemy was great, however, and shelling
or sniping seldom disturbed our work. Within
eight days the preparations were completed, in-
cluding all the wiring — an important part of
the work directed by Lieutenant Owen and con-
ducted with unusual care and excellence. For nine
days thereafter the company had to wait for a

98 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

favorable wind. This trying period was marked by
two bombardments of the Jury woods — one very
intense (July 31, 4 to 6 a.m.), when 4000 shells
resulted in only slight damage to a few batteries.^
Five men of the covering party, led by Sergeant
Kaiser, barely escaped with their lives from the
barrage when they left their dugout in order to
meet in the open the raid that was expected.
During the previous bombardment, too, the ser-
geant, with Thurman and Polanski, had rescued
several infantrymen wounded at their lookout
posts.

The night of August 3 was at first unpromising,
for rain persisted until i a.m. ; but soon after that
hour came clear weather and a southeast wind
blowing at three miles per hour — the right con-
ditions at last. "Zero" was promptly announced
as 3 A.M., and at that hour a triple attack was
launched ; 465 (out of 466) drums were shot from
the main projector emplacement, the "fake"
flashes (used for the first time) went off from Posi-
tion E ; and against enemy machine-gun positions
83 per-cent ^ of the Stokes mortar bombs were
fired. Twenty minutes later 91 per-cent of the 60

* On August 2, Captain Lowenberg resumed command of
Company C. Captain Wood had left three days previously to
organize new battalions for the regiment in the United States.

2 Caps and "biscuits" dampened by the night's rain were the
cause of this discrepancy.

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 99

drums in the second projector position were dis-
charged upon the same target used by the other
projectors. Except for the usual rockets, flares,
and gas alarms, the enemy's reaction was limited
to throwing some fifty shells into our position at
the edge of the woods. The casualties, however,
were all on his side. From both direct and aerial
observation, reports were later made that not only
were numerous ambulances and stretcher-bearers
seen to be busy, but as many as ten car-loads of
casualties were hauled away later on that day —
a total quite sufficient to record to our credit an-
other notable success.

Though such an achievement might be thought
a full night's work for one company. Company C,
on that very night, at 2 a.m., was executing an-
other operation some seventy miles distant. The
period of delay that preceded August 3 had per-
mitted the dispatch of about sixty men, under
Lieutenants Day and Colledge, to the battered
little village of V6ho near Lun^ville. There, in
ruined cellars a mile from the enemy, the men
were housed with troops of the Sixth French Corps
who were holding the fine. Three active nights
(July 29 to 31) were spent in getting ready. Horse-
drawn machine-gun limbers, always noisy, carried
the material along a screened road to within half
a mile of the position, where it was transferred

100 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

to sixty little burros who could be led directly to
the emplacement. Some of the carrying, though,
was done by the men, for the work had to be hur-
ried, and the burros were never very strenuous,
even when the advice of one soldier was taken to
"promise them a trip to Nancy and then make
them work like hell." Three hundred projectors
were dug in at a point back of a small knoll behind
low bushes. The target was Le Remabois, near
Leintry.

After three days of waiting "zero" was set at
2 A.M. ; 294 out of the 300 projector drums were
then discharged. At the same time an impromptu
"fake flash show" was executed by Lieutenant
Owen with no more equipment than powder in a
score of old charge boxes fired with French ex-
ploders. Since no retaliation ensued, there was
ample opportunity to fire two more of the pro-
jectors and to camouflage the position. That the
attack, though small, was not without its effect,
seems clear from the later report of a deserter,
who stated that in his company alone there were
twenty casualties, of which four were deaths.

Retrieving the material was on this occasion
more difficult than arranging it, for wooden base-
plates had been used; the projectors had sunk
deep into the soft ground ; and 25 men of Company
Q, as well as a detachment from C, were occupied

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST loi

for nearly a week in salvaging the guns. By the
middle of August, however, C Company was again
united.

Preparations had already begun by August lo
for the biggest of all our projector "shows."
At the L^onval Dump Company C loaded their
ninety tons of munitions on railroad cars by which
they were transported to a point near the village
of Merviller not far from Baccarat. There trucks
took up the burden and brought the material to
a point where eighty burros carried it to the posi-
tion. The target was the enemy trenches in the
woods southwest of Montreux. One hundred and
seventy-three men of C Company, now attached
to the Thirty-seventh Division, U.S.A.,^ were bil-
leted in wooden barracks and barns in the village
of Merviller. With a growing skill in systematizing
their work, the men were able, with the assistance
of burros and of infantry carrying parties, to com-
plete the job assigned in five days. In that short
time 800 projectors were set. The emplacement
was in No Man's Land, and our own covering
party, armed with Chauchot rifles, protected the
workers. Machine-gun sniping and throwing of
hand-grenades were a nightly occurrence, but
there was no shelling of our immediate area.
Curiously enough, however, the neighborhood of
* Then operating with the Sixth French Corps.

102 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

the billets was regularly shelled, making rest more
risky than work.

In this operation no untoward conditions de-
layed our action. Thirty minutes after the last
bit of work was finished — at midnight (August
17-18) — the guns were fired. Eight hundred
drums were sent over without a single ' * dud." Not
one shell was fired in answer and not one casualty
marred our satisfaction in a " show " that for speed
of preparation and skill of execution won for Com-
pany C a record that none has excelled.

After its return to the Bois de Lagney the com-
pany settled down to routine tasks, working at the
construction of shelter trenches in the woods and
assisting at the dump in the preparation of ammu-
nition for the operations already being planned
for September.

After the active period of the Chateau-Thierry
offensive, when Companies B and D moved rear-
wards to La Grange-aux-Bois Farm, their fate
was as yet undecided ; and rumors were wild and
varied. Some expected that they were destined for
the Toul sector, others had heard that Italy was
the goal ; but all were sure that some notable step
was soon to be taken. The net result of these high
hopes was the dispatch of D Company on a slow
journey toward St. Mihiel, and immediate orders
for B to move back to the point it had just left.

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 103

Accordingly, after spending the 12th in marching
16 kilometers south, the men spent the 14th in
marching 26 kilometers north — a seven hours*
"hike" which ended in the village of Arcis le
Ponsart. There they achieved the feat, rare in our
records, of remaining for nearly a month. The vil-
lage had been only recently evacuated by the
Germans; it was subject to balloon observation
and to frequent shelling ; and nobody else wanted
to live there for long. With this encouragement,
our men moved in, and proceeded to make them-
selves comfortable in all the best billets. Most
of these were necessarily underground, but none
the less desirable; and some of the officers were
able to enjoy one of those French houses which
only Americans call "chateaux."

Company B had been assigned to our Third
Corps, and in succeeding operations the company
worked with the Twenty-eighth and Seventy-
seventh Divisions. The best of "liaison" and the
best of good feeling prevailed in our relations
with the corps and divisions. The officers in com-
mand had earlier known and noted our work, and
having asked for our unit, they were fully pre-
pared to use us to the best advantage. During two
weeks, as a result (August 20 to September 3), B
Company was able to execute five operations. The
front along the Vesle had by that time become

104 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

pretty well stabilized. No direct or extended of-
fensive was planned, for the enemy was soon to
be outflanked from the northwest. Little more
was undertaken, therefore, than attempts to har-
ass, to secure bridgeheads, and to test the enemy's
strength and purposes. In all of these designs our
men were equipped to assist.

Arcis le Ponsart was about eight kilometers
from the front. Eight kilometers northwest of the
town was the village of St. Thibaut, facing the
enemy village of Bazoches, and eight kilometers
northeast was the village of Magneux, facing the
enemy village of Courlandon. At the lower angle
of the rough triangle thus described, B Company
lived ; and at its two upper angles the company
made its attacks. Of the five actions, three were
from emplacements at St. Thibaut, facing targets
in or near Bazoches, and two were from emplace-
ments close to Magneux, facing targets in or near
Courlandon. The former were in the Seventy-
seventh Division sector, the latter in that of the
Twenty-eighth. Both groups of positions were
difficult to reach or to leave in safety. St. Thibaut
could be approached by only two roads, both of
which were frequently shelled and both of which
led through a valley usually soaked with gas, while
work near Magneux required a very long carry
over exposed terrain. ^

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 105

The plans of the first "show" were for an em-
placement of 50 projectors situated in the north
end of St. Thibaut. The object was to use thermite
not only to set fire to the village of Bazoches, but
also to simulate a gas attack, in order that the
enemy might withdraw from cover and leave him-
self exposed to further fire from our Stokes mor-
tars and artillery. A simultaneous Stokes mortar
attack was therefore scheduled. The fourth pla-
toon and part of the third, with Lieutenant Bash
in charge, dug in the projectors on the night of
August 18, with little assistance from a large
infantry carrying party who were very nervous
under fire and left much of the work to our own
men. Two of the infantrymen were killed and
several wounded, but our men escaped unhurt.
The next night installing of the Stokes mortars
and the carrying of ammunition, directed by
Lieutenant Miller, were completed before mid-
night, and "zero" was set for i a.m. At that hour
(August 20) the projectors were successfully dis-
charged, and immediately the mortars opened
fire. Within three minutes two groups of six and
five guns respectively had fired 120 rounds of
thermite, and at i .05 a.m. the artillery began its
bombardment.

In this " all- thermite show," the most success-
ful of its kind then achieved by the American

io6 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Army, we succeeded in causing many fires in Ba-
zoches, which were not extinguished for an hour
and a half. Of retahation there was little or none.
We had conducted the whole enterprise with the
loss of only two men wounded, and before dawn
the platoons had been crowded into trucks and
safely carried back to Arcis.

A smaller operation of a similar character was
carried out a week later (August 27, 4.15 A.m.)
when 35 thermite bombs were fired by the fourth
platoon from projectors installed in St. Thibaut
at the target of La Haute Maison back of Ba-
zoches, and two Stokes mortars fired 29 rounds
of smoke bombs at the railroad junction west of
town in an effort to assist the infantry. While this
*'show" was being executed, the third platoon,
under Lieutenant Catlett, was already digging in
projectors for another performance at Magneux
— eight kilometers eastward. It had been planned
to use 100 guns, but unforeseen difficulties pre-
vented. One night the gun limbers furnished by
the infantry failed to arrive on time, and on an-
other night an unexpected raid interfered. The
mile-long carry, over exposed ground frequently
shelled, resulted in losses of munitions; and only
75 guns and gas bombs succeeded in reaching the
emplacement. With two nights of work, however,
these had been transported and made ready; and

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 107

two Stokes mortars, in charge of Lieutenant
Jabine, had been installed by the first platoon near
Villette. On August 28 at 12.30 a.m., with a light
wind prevailing, the combined attack was made,
the projectors successfully fired, and 30 rounds of
thermite sent over by the mortars, to clean out
machine-gun nests in Le Roland Usine. Though
German minenwerfers and 77's were roused to
some retaliation, we experienced no casualties and
were able to withdraw in safety. Our operation
was the first attempt to use gas in that sector,
and the consequent surprise to the enemy in
Courlandon resulted in his evacuation of the vil-
lage and the adjacent territory.

Five days afterward Villette again furnished
the emplacement for our Stokes mortars. On the
night of August 31 the first platoon, with the as-
sistance of an infantry carrying party of 70 men,
set up twelve Stokes mortars (most of them in vil-
lage courtyards) and prepared all their ammuni-
tion. The purpose of the coming operation was to
establish a semi-circular screen of smoke to simu-
late the start of an infantry advance, in order to
draw the enemy's fire and to disclose his inten-
tions. To make this plan all the more plausible, the
allied 75 's opened up a barrage a few minutes be-
fore "zero," and at 2 a.m. our guns began firing.
One hundred and eighty-four rounds of heavy

io8 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

smoke were discharged. As a means of drawing the
enemy's fire this attack was a marked success, for
the entire area on our side of the smoke screen was
immediately subjected to an hour of heavy bom-
bardment from machine-guns, trench mortars,
and artillery. Not only were the intentions of the
enemy revealed, but the lesson was taught us,
without losses, that direct smoke screens only
invite retaliation upon a conspicuous target, and
that flanking screens and "fake" screens were
clearly to be more profitable tactics for the fu-
ture.

On September 3 at 3 a.m. a third and final pro-
jector operation was executed at St. Thibaut, for
which there were used many of the original guns
at the first emplacement. Once more the target
was the village of Bazoches and the enemy works
in La Haute Maison. This time, however, gas
only was used, of which 67 drums were fired.
Once again we were fortunate enough to encoun-
ter neither retaliation nor casualties.

At this point the fighting of Company B on the
Vesle front came to an end. The company had
long been below strength; many men were still
suffering from dysentery; and every one began to
feel increasingly the strain of living for six weeks
not merely apart from all diversion and recreation,
but continuously under fire. Yet the company was

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 109

not ready to quit. It was the Germans who quit
first. Their retreat from the Vesle began on
September 4, and Company B's subsequent weeks
of movement without active operations were due
to the wider plans of the gathering American First
Army.

By September 8, B had received orders to as-
semble at the railhead at M6zy, and a week later
left from there by train for Lemmes, near Ver-
dun. On September 18 the company moved to
Ville-sur-Cousances, which remained its head-
quarters during the next two months of heavy
fighting.

While the varied operations of Companies B
and C were in process of achievement, Company D
had been gradually working its way toward the
St. Mihiel sector. After a rest at La Grange-aux-
Bois Farm, south of Fdre-en-Tardenois, the com-
pany marched twenty miles to another farm near
La Fert6 where they remained four days. On Au-
gust 19 at 5 P.M. they entrained at Trilport, near
Meaux, and detrained early the next morning at
Roupe, where they bivouacked during the day.
A final march of sixteen miles ended at Blaise —
an attractive village between Joinville and Chau-
mont — where for six days the men were given a
complete rest. On August 27 the company set out
in trucks for Rambluzin, south of Verdun, arriv-

no THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

ing the next day in plenty of time to begin prep-
arations for the coming drive.

While the four senior companies had been plan-
ning and executing the attacks that we have been
describing, the regimental home at La Ville-aux-
Bois was for some time emptied of all but Q Com-
pany, which continued its self-sacrificing existence
as a replacement company, and which entered also
upon a course of gas training so that all its men
might be ready for active service. This training
consisted not merely in digging and wiring. It ex-
tended to the conduct of operations that lacked
nothing but the presence of the enemy to make
them real. The operation reports, in fact, read
exactly like those of the companies at the front,
especially the account of the "action" of July
25 when 24 Stokes mortars were installed and
fired in conjunction with imaginary raids.

On July 18 the welcome arrival of Companies
E and F once more filled the village, and brought
our total strength of officers and men up to 1932.

Company E had begun its organization at Fort
Myer as early as January 18, but had not reached
full strength until April 5, while Company F, in-
augurated March 9, was complete April 25. Like
the earlier companies, E was composed almost
wholly of volunteers; but F drew half its strength
from the draft. Their three or four months' train-

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST in

ing, besides the usual infantry drill, included a
week at the near-by Edsall rifle range and five
gas "shows" on a diminutive scale, for the com-
panies* equipment included twenty-five projec-
tors and one Stokes mortar. The two companies at
Fort Myer attracted attention not only by these
exhibitions of their specialty, but also by their
soldierly qualities and training in drill. Twice they
were selected, out of some 2000 other men at the
post, to furnish a detail to act as the President's
guard upon the occasion of ceremonies at Arling-
ton Cemetery.

Orders for their overseas transportation had
been difficult to secure, and it was not until June
22 that the battalion (of which Captain Dayton
had been in command since May 23) finally em-
barked on the President Grant. The breakdown of
the transport's refrigerating plant resulted in a re-
turn to port, followed by a week's delay at Camp
Merritt before the final sailing on June 30. In the
convoy were thirteen transports, protected by an
armored cruiser and by destroyers. The fleet
reached Brest safely on July 12, and early the next
day the two companies disembarked, and marched
to the Pontanezen barracks where they were quar-
tered for two days before entraining. Their jour-
ney ended at La Ville-aux-Bois on July 18 when
Captain Carlock (from whom Company B had

112 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

just parted with the keenest regret) assumed com-
mand of the battaHon.

Under his guidance plans were promptly made
to conduct such a schedule of intensive training
as would fit the new battalion for independent
action within the shortest possible time — a period
shorter than that allotted to C and D. After a
week of energetic work in testing new American
gas masks, the two companies were actively en-
gaged in living up to the schedule of lectures and
field work and to the composition and execution
of complete operation orders for weekly "shows."
Three weeks after its arrival the first platoon of
Company F was already equipped to present a
demonstration of Stokes mortars and projectors in
action for the staff of the First and Fourth Corps
at Neuf chateau (Augusts). At this time Lieuten-
ants Paine and Steidle took command, respec-
tively, of Companies E and F, while Captains
Dayton and Carson were undergoing training at
the front. ^ Though ready to fight before the mid-
dle of August, E and F were not ordered to move
until the end of the month. Just before their de-
parture they were reviewed on August 27 by Gen-

^ Lieutenant Steidle, as the representative of The Thirtieth,
had been working, during the previous month, at the Gas Service
Experimental Field, engaged in the instruction of engineer officers
in the principles of gaa warfare and gas defense — a valuable con-
tribution carried out with admirable spirit and success.

THE FRONTS IN JULY-AUGUST 113

eral Fries, and two days later proceeded by train
to the vicinity of Lagney where E Company joined
C in the old camp in the woods and F Company
was billeted with A at the village of Laneuville.

By the end of August Companies A, C, E, and
F had all gathered in the neighborhood of Toul,
and had been reconstituted as the First Battalion
under the command of Major Watson. Company
D had moved to the western side of the St. Mihiel
salient, and had been transferred to Major Car-
lock's Second Battalion — to which the absent
B Company, a platoon from E and a platoon from
F were also assigned.^ On August 18 Advanced
Regimental Headquarters had been installed at
Lagney, with Lieutenant-Colonel Crawford in
charge, until the arrival of Colonel Atkisson ^ on
August 29.

Earlier in the month (August 9) a General
Order from General Headquarters (G.O. 133,
Par. i) announced that "The Thirtieth Engineers
(Gas and Flame) is transferred to the Chemical
Warfare Service, effective July 13, and will here-
after be designated as the First Gas Regiment."
This formal transfer to a new service, with a new
name, gave us a standing clearer and more dis-
tinctive than of old, but it changed in no degree

* The Provisional Battalion temporarily disappeared.
' Commissioned August 8.

114 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

our work, our purpose, or our spirit. These were
shortly to be tested more severely than ever be-
fore. Operating for the first time in the field as a
regimental unit, we were to be part of the First
American Army in its first battle. The clans had
been gathering for the great event, and in the
crowded days of active preparation there was a
thrill of anticipation.

CHAPTER VII

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION

For the St. Mihiel operation the regiment (minus
Company B) had been assigned to our new First
Army, and the task before us was therefore heavier
and more complex than we had hitherto known.
Though a gas regiment had never before operated
as part of an army in an offensive, we had already
won, upon a smaller scale, sufficient experience to
make our duty clear. Our record in the Chateau-
Thierry campaign had proved both to us and to
the High Command that even during an advance
in open warfare, valuable use could be made of
Stokes mortars firing smoke, thermite, and gas;
and that while the front was still stationary, pro-
jectors could be used with both gas, thermite, and
high explosive. To apply these facts in detail upon
a wide stretch of front and in close connection
with the plans of the infantry, was now to be our
work.

In order that we might cover the ground as com-
pletely as possible, the regiment was distributed
by platoons along the entire army front. In the
First Corps sector Company C was divided be-
tween the Eighty-second and Ninetieth Divisions

ii6 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

and Company E (less one platoon) between the
Fifth and Second. The Fourth Corps took Com-
pany A and Company F (less one platoon), attach-
ing the former to the Eighty-ninth and the latter
to the First and Forty-second Divisions. These
two corps operated on the southern side of the
salient between St. Mihiel and Pont-^-Mousson.
The shorter western side of the salient included the
Fifth Corps sector where Company D, with one
platoon of E and one of F, worked with French
colonial troops and with our Twenty-sixth Di-
vision.

The aim of this offensive was to close the sharp
St. Mihiel salient. The southern side was to swing
forward, pivoting upon Pont-^-Mousson ; the
western side was to swing forward pivoting upon
a point south of Verdun. By the junction of the
two forces the triangle was to be reduced to a
single line. The aim of our auxiliary efforts was
to assist the initial assault by neutralizing the
enemy's defense through the use of smoke, ther-
mite, high explosive, and gas, and later to further
the progress of the battle by using Stokes mor-
tars to furnish smoke screens and to attack ma-
chine-gun positions.

With this general scheme in view, our prepara-
tions began early in September. Since there was
need for the first time that every platoon of every

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THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 117

company should be prepared to use Stokes mor-
tars, the first essential was to give additional
training to those units whose previous work had
been chiefly with projectors. Systematic drills
began at once, especially for Companies E and
F, and every effort was made to place all the units
on as even a footing as the diversity of their past
experience would permit. Only B and D Com-
panies — veterans of Chateau-Thierry — had any
great practical knowledge of the type of warfare
we were undertaking ; and of these B was still in a
distant sector. Yet the later records of the various
companies showed a far higher average, with less
variety, than conditions would have led us to
expect.

One form which our self-training took, served
also to educate some of the units with which we
were soon to cooperate. On several occasions,
near Vaucouleurs and at other points closer to
the front, our platoons gave sample exhibitions of
mortars in action, displaying thermite and stag-
ing smoke-screens. The last of these "shows"
was before one of the assaulting battalions of the
Eighty-ninth Division, which a few days later we
aided in the fight.

While mortar drills and frequent inspections
were being carried out in the rear, the company
commanders and platoon leaders were busy with

ii8 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

reconnaissance at the front. Close study of "in-
telligence" data and of operation orders already
issued, helped to prepare us for the coming day.
A week before that day active preparations be-
gan at the chosen positions. Guns and ammuni-
tion had to be transported and stored and the in-
stalling of projectors commenced. These days and
nights of travel and of labor were attended by
the usual dangers of a front then more unquiet
than usual. Lieutenant Richardson, during recon-
naissance, was wounded ; on other occasions several
men also suffered slight wounds ; and many others
underwent frequent shelling and narrow escapes.
The most trying feature of these days, however,
was not the action of the enemy, to which most of
our men were cheerfully accustomed, but rather
the abominable weather that prevailed almost con-
tinuously and the frequent and intolerable traffic
blockades which jammed the roads. Ditches every-
where were decorated each morning with dead
trucks — disasters often hard to avoid when driv-
ing through rain and mud in inky darkness.

The final step in getting ready was taken on the
9th and loth of September, when the companies
all moved to forward billets — in Pont-^-Mousson,
Limey, Grosrouvres, and other villages, or in handy
dugouts close to their area of action. Operating
from there on the nights of September 10 and 11

,THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 119

the platoons made their final preparations, wir-
ing projectors, preparing bombs, and setting up
Stokes mortars. Everywhere the workers were
hard pressed to be ready in time, for congested
roads had spoiled schedules and black nights of
rain impeded work. The gathering masses of the
infantry added further confusion. But here there
was compensation. To be side by side with the in-
fantry, ready to share in their advance, was for
most of our men an experience new and inspiring.
The dawn of September 12 found many of our
platoons in the muddy front line trenches crowded
in with their mortars among the "doughboys,"
eager for the long-awaited "zero."

At one o'clock on the morning of September 12,
along the entire salient, began an artillery bom-
bardment which for volume and intensity had
never been exceeded. Weapons of every caliber
— from huge naval guns to machine-guns — were
given a share, and continued their fire with in-
creasing intensity until "zero" at five.^ At that
hour our guns opened up ; and from one end of the
front to the other, projectors and mortars launched
their attack in a series of striking ' ' shows. ' ' To re-
count their details makes a catalogue that is long
and perhaps dull. But as seen and lived through,

* For the Second Battalion in the Fifth Corps "zero" was at

8 A.M.

120 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

most of it was over in a few moments — all of it
within an hour; and those crowded minutes were
full of brilliance and excitement.

To follow the line from east to west, Company
C on the extreme right (between Pont-a-Moqs-
son and Fey-en-Haye) executed nine operations.
Of these four were smoke screens (thrown by two
mortars each), two to assist the advance of the
Eighty-second Division, and two in front of the
Ninetieth. Three of these were maintained for 45
and one for 20 minutes. Beginning at the same mo-
ment, three sets of "fake flashes" were set off, to
simulate a projector gas attack. These were in
two groups of 25 each and one of 75. Two genuine
projector attacks were also made, both in the
Ninetieth Division area. From one emplacement
75 high explosive drums were discharged and from
another 25.

Company E (less one platoon) had planned four
"shows." The first of these, with the Fifth Divi-
sion, was canceled by order of the infantry Battal-
ion Commander too late to make any substitute
possible. The three remaining were smoke screens
(one accompanied by thermite), protecting about
three kilometers of the advancing line north of
Limey. Company F (less one platoon), using two
mortars, threw a smoke screen from a point east
of the Bois de Jury.

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 121

Company A's operation with the First Division,
not proving necessary, had been canceled; but
three other operations were carried out. Of these
one was a 30-gun projector attack throwing ther-
mite against machine-gun emplacements in front
of the Bois du Sonnard, and another, just to the
left, was a 2-gun smoke screen. The third was
really a triple performance — the only instance of
its kind in this action. Four Stokes mortars, car-
ried behind the infantry, were set up three times
(north of Seicheprey) and were thus able to fur-
nish a progressive smoke screen covering two
kilometers of front.

After the first hour of the battle, the only further
operation was carried out by one platoon of Com-
pany C, which supplied a smoke screen at 6 p.m.
on September 13, giving successful aid in conceal-
ing a raid north of Pont-^-Mousson.

While the First Battalion was thus cooperating
with the First and Fourth Corps, Company D
(with its platoons from E and F) had been assist-
ing the Twenty-sixth Division and the French
Fifth Colonial Division in the Fifth Corps, which
had been moving from the west side of the salient.
The initial attack ^ of these six platoons in the
Second Battalion was very varied, comprising no
less than ten distinct operations. Their purpose
^ * Near Les Eparges and the Bois les Eparges.

122 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

and distribution, in general, were similar to those
of the First Battalion; but a much greater use
was made of thermite. Though one smoke screen
was developed at "H" hour, greater dependence
was placed upon attacks on specific machine-gun
nests, many of which had been accurately located.
With these as targets, i6 Stokes mortars, chiefly
in couples, carried out thermite bombardments on
seven different enemy emplacements. There were,
in addition, one group of 45 projectors and another
of 50 which fired high explosive drums upon four
separate targets. With so complete a plan as this,
little that was sensitive or dangerous in the hostile
front line escaped our attentions. Yet the German
resistance was greater than at any point on the
southern sector, and our platoons were conse-
quently called upon for ten actions subsequent to
"zero." ^ These were executed by Company D's
second platoon which advanced with the loist
Infantry and attacked machine-gun nests with
heavy smoke bombs. In each case the severe fire
of the enemy ceased as soon as the first bomb
landed, and the infantry were able to advance
to the capture of all the gUns and crews. ^

This brief account supplies a summary of all
that the regiment achieved in strictly military

^ Near St. Remy.

2 Sergeant Brantley, with part of the platoon, captured seven
prisoners.

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 123

results. It is the story of what was our actual value.
We had originally planned to follow up the in-
fantry advance and to repeat our attacks as the
need arose. That we were unable, with the few
exceptions noted, to do any "post-zero" work, is
due not to our own fault, but to the efficiency and
good fortune of the Army. In these offensives our
gateway to usefulness opened and shut automati-
cally. If the infantry were checked by prolonged
enemy resistance, we could carry forward in time
to help them. When they were not so checked and
we failed to keep pace with them, they did not
need our help. In the St. Mihiel drive, the latter
was the case. The Army encountered not merely
far less resistance than it had planned for, but
even far less than it had genuinely expected.
Compared with what might have been, the ad-
vance was a "walk-over." The movement was sur-
prisingly rapid, and almost exactly according to
plan. For this reason our later chances to act were
few; but in each case they were promptly and
profitably taken.

Our value to the Army in its initial assault is
fortunately not a matter for guessing. A confiden-
tial publication issued by General Headquarters
and containing some severe criticisms of many
phases of technique throughout this battle, in-
cludes the following comments:

124 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

"Gas companies with the first line divisions
made effective use of their mortars in throwing
smoke shells. Hostile positions which were to be
turned were thus screened at ranges of 200 to
500 yards, and passage of wire and the bridging of
streams were successfully done under cover of
their smoke. This use of smoke should be contin-
ued and extended. The gas companies also in some
cases made use of thermite shells in overcoming
machine-gun nests. The moral effect of their hquid
fire proved to be very great."

More specific gratitude was expressed by the
commanding officer of the Sixth French Colo-
nial Infantry in the following letter, amplified by
Major Carlock's endorsement.^ The achieve-
ments of which it speaks may be considered typi-
cal of the work of many other platoons:

[Translation]

6th Colonial Infantry Regiment

No. 1506

From: Colonel Chevalier, Commanding the 6th

Colonial Infantry Regiment.
To: Colonel commanding the Infantry of the 15th

Colonial Division.
I am requesting that the "Croix de Guerre" citation
by the Army Corps be granted to the American Lieu-
tenant Commanding the group of "projectors" who

1 For citations see Appendix E.

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 125

was supporting the attack by the 5th Colonial (at
N — i) of the Crete des Eparges.

This ofificer established his liaison several times dur-
ing the attack with the Captain commanding the as-
saulting troops, and he came himself to explain his
mission and get to him information, offering his serv-
ices to support the maneuver.

I am requesting that several Croix de Guerre (Di-
vision, Brigade, Regiment) be granted to his men.

I do not know the name of this officer nor that of his
men. The number of this group or the authority from
which it depends are also unknown to me.

The help of this unit has largely favored the prog-
ress of the regiment and contributed to a large extent
to the taking of the Crete des Eparges.

Signed : Chevalier

Hq., 2d Bn., ist Gas Regiment, 2d Ind. A.E.F.,
September 29th, 1918. — To Commanding
General, 5th Corps, U.S. Army, American E.F.

1. Lieutenant D. M. Johnston with forty men in-
stalled and fired the projectors in the attack on Crete
des Eparges, Sept. 12, 1918.

2. Several enlisted men have been recommended for
their efficiency and coolness during the preparations
and actual discharge.

3. Recommend that the following list of names be
submitted to the French officials:

Second Lieutenant Johnston, Duncan

McArthur, Company " F "

Master Engineer Ahrens, Clyde W., 2d Bn. Hq.
Acting First Sergeant Lomuller, Victor,

Company "D"
Sergeant Spiers, Charles M., Company "F"

Corporal Hyatt, Charles S., Company "D"

126 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Private First Class Stauffer,

Edwin S., Company "D"

Corporal Ferguson, Ray S., Company "D"

Signed : J. B. Carlock,

Major, 1st Gas Regiment,

Commanding

Turning now from our actual value to our po-
tential value, the reckoning of what we might have
done and should have done had occasion offered
may in one sense be a matter of judgment and
theory. But in another sense, it is really the story
of four days more of strain and effort, filled with
carrying and reconnoitering, with watching and
waiting.

The first of these days was saddened by the news
of our losses. At "zero" hour Lieutenant Cordes,
while observing the discharge of his projectors,
was severely wounded by a shell fragment. As
soon as possible he was carried to a dressing-station
and later moved to a field hospital. But he rapidly
lost consciousness, and died within a few hours.
The following day he was buried with military
honors at the cemetery at Saizerais. During nine
months in Company C, Cordes had won, by his
unusually high character, not only the respect but
the unqualified devotion of officers and men. Every
tribute a soldier would be proud to win was paid
him genuinely and eagerly, for as an officer he

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 127

had been a model of thoroughness and efficiency,
and as a friend, his uniform courtesy and kindness
were gratefully remembered. We have been the
poorer for losing him, and we have missed him
steadily.

An equally heavy loss came to Company D in
the death of Lieutenant H. C. Williams. After
the first action on September 12 he went forward
to reconnoiter. He was seriously wounded, and
after an operation in a hospital, died the following
day. The news, however, did not reach his com-
pany until the i6th. Williams had been assigned
to Company D in June, and had seen action
through all the Chateau-Thierry offensive. He was
everywhere admired and trusted as a leader. His
devotion and courage had made him invaluable in
the field, and the combination in his character of
solid worth and whole-souled good-fellowship had
multiplied the number of his friends.

These were our only two deaths in the battle,
for our casualties had been surprisingly light.
On the first day five men were slightly wounded,
and during the four days thereafter, eleven more
men were added — mostly gas cases in Com-
pany C.

While the days between September 12 and 16
brought forth little that appears on our table of
operations, they were none the less full of novelty.

128 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

incident, and effort. Our Stokes mortar platoons
undertook the task of following the infantry,
keeping in touch with their commanders and
making ready to help. There are few things more
easily said and less easily done. The mere carry-
ing is an achievement in itself unless you happen
(as did Lieutenant Noble's platoon) to find Boche
prisoners to work for you. The mortars and am-
munition had constantly to be brought forward,
sometimes a total of eight miles from the first em-
placement. The maintenance of "liaison," too,
was inevitably hard when movement was rapid,
and when almost no one ever knew the location of
any one else. Time and again platoons moved
ahead with their double load over difficult ground,
and at the end they returned with their weapons
unused. Yet such penalties we were more than
ready to pay for a successful drive. And even with
our specialties unrequired, we were still able to be
of assistance in other ways. Nearly everywhere
our men and the infantry were on terms of cor-
diality and mutual admiration. On the first morn-
ing it was not easy for the men to resist joining
them en masse as the first wave went over; but
in this way we lost no enthusiasts except a few who
had gone astray the night before and who were
able for a while to work with rifle and bayonet.
More legitimate chances to help were later taken

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 129

gallantly. Lieutenant Colledge, after returning
from a dangerous reconnaissance behind the enemy
front line, left his dugout during a heavy bombard-
ment (in company with Privates Gregg, Fuller-
ton, and Jennings) and rescued two wounded men
abandoned by their own unit. On the afternoon
of C Company's show (September 13) near Pont-
^-Mousson, Lieutenant Everett and Sergeant
Schurr worked in the midst of a severe barrage,
saving the lives of many wounded by prompt
first-aid, and transporting the worst cases to the
nearest dressing-station.^

The strain of our first great advance as a regi-
ment was lightened by the novelty of the occasion.
For most of the companies the experience of fol-
lowing a victorious advance was a new and strik-
ing change from the duller days of trench warfare.
Especially when the troops pressed on into terri-
tory that had been peacefully German a few hours
before, there was both much to see and much to
take. In the current lingo there were "beaucoup
souvenirs." Boche helmets, "Gott mit Uns" belt
buckles, "Luger" pistols, and an infinite number
of minor knick-knacks, were everywhere promptly
discovered and readily acquired. The rage for
trophies only slowly subsided as the difficulties

^ For which they were subsequently recommended for the
D.S.C.

130 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

of transportation gradually dawned upon the
owners. The Boche not only left his property at
our disposal. Often he abandoned comfortable
homes and even ample rations. On the very first
day our men found themselves in quarters toward
which they had once peered cautiously across "No
Man's Land" — sleeping in enemy beds, drinking
enemy bottled goods, and smoking enemy cigars.
Boche rations were ever5rwhere popular. In the
villages, too, there were pleasures for the victor.
At Vilcey and Beney and other liberated towns
the Americans were overwhelmed with cordial
welcome, and a few platoons were able to enjoy
real beds with pillows and sheets and genuine
dinners of chicken and rabbits and German beer.
These rarities were relished more greedily but less
gratefully than the hot lunches served at many
points by the Red Cross and Salvation Army
girls. They were but little behind the second wave,
and were everywhere prompt and courageous in
giving food and cheer and in caring for the
wounded.

The most brilHant discovery, however, was
made by D Company in St. Maurice. Our truck
transportation, wonderfully handled by Master
Engineer Ahrens, was ahead of any other in that
sector; and some of our men were the first to enter
St. Maurice. There they discovered a Boche theater,

THE ST. MIHIEL OPERATION 131

complete with electric lights, club rooms, box
seats, and "movie" machines. Much more inter-
esting from a military standpoint was the oppor-
tunity given to part of A Company to witness the
French assault on the famous Montsec. That hill
was accounted the last word in modern fortifica-
tions; but after four hours of bombardment, and
in connection with a perfectly conducted barrage,
the French were able to surround the base and to
capture all the works before the Germans had
time to emerge from their deep and luxurious
dugouts.

The St. Mihiel offensive may be said to have
ended by September 15, for the front then began
to stabilize. This operation had been rumored and
heralded for weeks beforehand, with little success-
ful attempt at concealment. The next great move,
however, was planned and executed v/ith almost
complete secrecy. Just as our men were wondering
whether the first drive was over, and whether
Metz was to become an objective, they were
caught up in the new plans of the Army. The four
companies of the First Battalion were suddenly
withdrawn on September 16, and spent one
crowded night together in the camp at Lagney.
The next evening Companies A and F set out
upon a four nights' march toward parts unknown.
Though we were not aware of it at the time, the

132 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

entire First Army was being rapidly shifted (mostly
under cover of darkness) to its new field of action.
The detachment marched by night, half of the
time in the rain, and secured what rest it could
by day. The route led through Sorcy, Larouville,
and Pierrefitte — our halting places ; and the jour-
ney ended in the Verdun sector, on the cold
morning of September 20, with A company quar-
tered in "pup" tents in the Bois Bourrus and F
in the Foret de Hesse. Companies C and E had
meanwhile been forwarded by truck; Company B
had arrived earlier from the Vesle sector; and
Company D had already been operating in that
region. The entire regiment was then at last to-
gether. Disciplined and educated by our latest
experience, through which officers and men had
displayed admirable spirit, we were ready now
for our last and greatest task.

CHAPTER VIII

THE ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION

THE FIRST PHASE

(September 26 to October 3)

The second great offensive of the American First
Army, to which our regiment was still assigned,
is known as the "Argonne-Meuse Operation."
The front covered by the Army was approximately
from a point near the Meuse east of Verdun to a
point midway in the Argonne Forest. To under-
take this operation had become possible only
after the flattening of the St. Mihiel salient — an
achievement which made feasible the proper se-
curity of our new right flank. The aim of the drive
was to play our part in the wider plans of Marshal
Foch by attempting the highly difficult mission
of pressing northward along the Meuse-Argonne
front to cut the Mezieres-Metz railroad — one of
the two vital lines of communication for all the
German forces westward. No task assigned to any
of the allied armies was heavier or more important.
On a miniature scale, it is not too much to say
that no task assigned to any other regiment was
more heavy than ours. With six companies, de-
pleted by growing casualties and by the need to
maintain transportation, and with transportation

134 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

itself inadequate, we were called upon to cover
an entire army front, and to conduct a half a
dozen different types of operations under an infi-
nite variety of conditions. During the seven weeks
of fighting, in spite of every obstacle, the regiment
succeeded in playing this novel and arduous role
with a record of eighty-four operations executed
and with the reward of high praise from the Army
Staff.

To carry out our mission, Regimental Head-
quarters was established at Lemmes, where Colonel
Atkisson and Lieutenant-Colonel Crawford could
maintain prompt connections with the battalions
on the one hand, and on the other with Army
Headquarters at the neighboring town of Souilly.
The main dump was close by at Lempire. The regi-
ment was organized into three battalions of two
companies each — the First (Companies C and
E), the Second (Companies B and D) and the
Provisional (Companies A and F). During the
preparatory week and the first two days of action
the commanders were, respectively, Captain Akers,
Major Carlock, and Captain Berlin. After Sep-
tember 27, the three battalions were under Cap-
tain Lowenberg,^ Major Carlock, and Major Page.
These changes, as well as many others within the
companies, were made necessary by the departure

^ Commissioned Major October 22.

^lu^— , (y .

%

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 135

for America of twelve of our officers — dispatched
for the purpose of training the remaining bat-
talions of the regiment.^ The loss of these men,
with that of ten others sent later, was a severe
handicap which placed a heavier burden on those
officers who remained. ^ But we were able to over-
come it partly through their resolute aid, and
partly through the high character and ability of
our non-commissioned officers. We had sustained,
too, a previous loss on September 16, when Major
Watson was ordered to report for duty on the
Staff of the First Corps. Through some of the hard-
est days of our pioneering in two great offensives
we had owed much to his electrical energy and
wonderful endurance. We can tell how much we
missed him; but as to what ability we were los-
ing, we may refer to his subsequent career as Lieu-
tenant Colonel on the First Corps Staff and as
Assistant Chief of Staff of the Third Army — ar-
duous positions in which he won high praise.

The scheme of distribution for the battle was
to assign each battalion to a corps. The First
Battalion was assigned to the First Corps, the

* These were expected to reach France during November; but
the signing of the armistice canceled their departure.

* The companies, in order, were commanded by Captains Pond,
Perris, Lowenberg (later Lieutenants Webster, Paine, and Bed-
dall), Steidle, Dayton, and Carson. September 30 Captain Feeley
took command of Company F and October 6 Captain Morgan
took command of Company A.

136 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Second to the Fifth, and the Provisional to the
Third. Their headquarters, as well as those of
their corps, were, respectively, at Rarecourt,
Ville-sur-Cousances, and Souhesmes. Within the
corps, the Seventy-seventh Division took two
platoons of E, the Twenty-eighth Division two
platoons of E, and the Thirty-fifth Division all
of Company C. To the Ninety-first Division were
assigned three platoons of Company B, to the
Thirty-seventh Division one platoon of B and
one of D, and to the Seventy- ninth Division
three platoons of D. Company F worked with
the Eightieth Division and Company A with
the Thirty- third. Such was the initial "line-up,"
subject later to the frequent shifting of divisions.
By September 21 the greater part of the First
Army had assembled swiftly and silently within
its assigned area ; and two weeks after beginning
its first drive, was ready to start its second. During
the days between the 20th and 26th the roads
everywhere were crowded with masses of traffic —
troops and trucks, artillery and supply-trains —
moving mostly at night and gathering gradually
at the points from which to strike. To insure the
secrecy necessary for surprise, the sector was not
taken over from the French until the last moment
before the attack. The transition was made sud-
denly from a quiet line thinly held by French

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 137

troops to a battle front backed by the full force of
the American Army.

Under these conditions, and with but a few-
days in which to work, our commanders conducted
their reconnaissance — often in French uniforms.
Working henceforward on a literal twenty-four-
hour basis, our trucks with their indefatigable
drivers transported all the needed ammunition
to forward dumps. And finally the twenty-four
platoons were distributed in billets close to the
front — in French dugouts, in shattered villages,
and in huts in the woods. In accordance with
definite projects already worked out, the guns
were dug in, bombs prepared, and wiring com-
pleted. Conditions of weather had been more
favorable than during the previous two weeks, and
the enemy molested us scarcely at all ; but the in-
evitable hurry of our preparations made necessary
much eleventh-hour activity.

By the evening of September 25, all the men
were standing by at their forward positions ready
for the "zero" that had been announced for the
following morning. At 1 1 p.m. began the first ar-
tillery action. To make ready for this destruction,
the artillery (both French and American) had
been massing for days beforehand. The concen-
tration of guns broke all records. The woods on
every hand were full of them ; some divisions had

138 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

over 500 " seventy- fives " ; and the heavy cannon
were crowded forward in unparalleled numbers.
The chorus of their fire began gradually. The first
two hours were largely devoted to gas shelling.
But by 1.30 the entire front was one roar of bom-
bardment. Everywhere, around and behind our
platoons, the air echoed the sharp crack of the
"seventy-fives," with the strident singing of their
shells, and the woods glowed with the flashes of
the big howitzers, and shook with their noise.
At length, with a mist lying along the whole front,
"zero" hour dawned, and the fight was on.

At the instant of "zero" (5.30 a.m.) our com-
panies, all along the line, launched sixteen sepa-
rate attacks. Two of these were projector attacks
with high explosive bombs. All the others were
either strictly smoke barrages, or combinations of
smoke and thermite. Two groups of mortars, in
addition to smoke and thermite, used deceptive
gas bombs. Even with a background so deadly
serious, none could help marking the magnificent
scenic effect of these "shows" — the red flash
and dull roar of the projectors and the brilliant
fire-works of the bursting bombs of smoke and
thermite. Practically speaking, these initial bom-
bardments were no less effective. Inspection later
showed that the high explosive bombs had done
terrific execution in German dugouts and trenches.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 139

Nearly everywhere, behind the smoke screens, the
infantry advanced with httle opposition. In some
places, it is true, resistance occurred. In others,
our smoke screens caused some dismay and tem-
porary confusion among our own infantry, who
thought they were being gassed. Then, too, the
enemy had planned for but slight resistance during
the first few hours and had largely evacuated the
area for two or three miles behind the first-line
trenches. But machine gunners had been left be-
hind in plenty, and our direct hits on their em-
placements, together with our protective screens
(blending as they did with the morning fog),
largely crippled the efficiency of the defense. Nor
was this our opinion alone. Many infantry com-
manders bore grateful tribute to the fact; and,
best of all, a German ofhcer, later in the day, testi-
fied to one of our officers (little knowing his spe-
cialty) that had it not been for the double screen of
mist heavily reinforced by smoke, his men could
have done far greater execution.

The first part of our work was successfully fin-
ished, with next to no losses; but ahead of us were
still the hardest hours and the most severe trials.
Once again our mission was to advance with the
infantry, to keep in touch with its leaders, and
to fire when needed. "Carrying" and "following-
up" for the men, "reconnaissance" and "liaison"

140 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

for the officers, and "functioning" for all — these
were the watchwords during the ensuing weeks.
It would be neither possible nor profitable to
continue with an exact account of the movements
and actions of every platoon even during the first
phase. To do so would end in much repetition,
varied only by a sprinkling of unintelligible map
"coordinates." We can best paint the picture as
a whole ; we can more nearly reproduce the " feel "
of these days as we lived through them, by sum-
marizing the general results, by recalling the con-
ditions under which they were achieved, and by
treating more in detail a few of the actions that
were typical or striking.

After "H" hour on September 26 no further
operations were executed that day by Com-
panies E, C, or B. Their platoons advanced, usu-
ally in the wake of the infantry, sometimes even in
advance of the first wave; and the laborious work
of carrying went on all day. The still more wear-
ing duty of maintaining "liaison" was likewise
attempted. On that first day, however, " liaison "
was a lost art throughout most of the army. As a
major-general once remarked, the great question
for a commander in a fight is, "Where the hell
are my men?" And there were many who were
long in finding the answer. If it was hard to keep
track of one's own unit, it was doubly hard to

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 141

keep in touch with others. When artillery colonels
could be found riding about asking privates where
this or that "P.C." could be found, it is not sur-
prising that our little platoons occasionally lost
connection with the headquarters of the larger
bodies which they were eager to serve. Company
commanders could sometimes scarcely locate their
own platoons that were only small groups among
tens of thousands. Then, too, the chances to
shoot were often dependent less upon the energy
and readiness of the platoon leaders than upon
the obstacles which the infantry encountered.
The rapidity and ease of progress varied from
sector to sector.

Side by side with the wear and tear of the real
work went the usual avocation of souvenir hunt-
ing, for which the American soldier was seldom
too desperate or too busy. German rations, too,
including beer and wine, were found in plenty,
and many of the troops slept that night in Boche
dugouts under Boche blankets. But much of the
gayety of the St. Mihiel adventure was dimmed,
as the first day went on, by the sight of the grow-
ing casualties. With so many of the roads jammed
with fighting material, and the early advance so
extended, many of the wounded lay unattended
for long hours, and still more never reached the
dressing-stations until one or two days later.

142 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

On the day of the first assault it was Companies
A, F, and D which had opportunities for "shows"
subsequent to 5.30 A.M. A Company executed one
thermite bombardment with two Stokes mortars;
but F with four attacks and D with five went
through more extended adventures. Following up
their infantry battalions, F Company platoons set
up their guns three times, and quickly and ef-
fectively silenced some obstinate groups of enemy
machine-guns. Not content, however, with dis-
playing their specialty nor dismayed at having
used up all their ammunition, our men five times
took up the infantry's job with ready zeal. Lieu-
tenant Shockley, with twelve volunteers and some
lost "dough-boys," cleaned out the Bois d'en
delcl, and captured the occupants of one machine-
gun nest, while Lieutenant Blanchard took six
prisoners in another. In this same sector, when
the infantry were checked by another active ma-
chine-gun, the major in command called for vol-
unteers to secure its capture. Corporal Dakin^
and Private G. A. Nelson ^ stepped forward at
once, and working through the woods to the
rear of the enemy, killed two of them and drove
the rest away. A little later Corporal Harding
and Private John Mellish outflanked a similar
position and shot the gun-crews. At another
^ Awarded the D.S.C. See Appendix E.

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ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 143

point Lieutenant Trammell advanced alone, and
at the point of his pistol captured ten machine-
gunners.

During this time Company D's experiences had
been less dramatic but more costly. The fourth
platoon followed the 145th Infantry; and after
many of the latter had been lost in fruitless at-
tacks upon several machine-gun nests, our men
were called upon for a smoke screen which enabled
the infantry to capture the positions easily. Heavy
fire in the afternoon caused the infantry to with-
draw from the valley south of Montfaucon. To
help them back, the fourth platoon, after ammuni-
tion had been brought up with great difficulty,
fired 30 rounds of thermite. The enemy could
easily be seen running from his positions, but the
infantry did not advance. Further to the right,
near the Montfaucon- Avocourt road, the second
platoon, taking the infantry's punishment of ma-
chine-gun fire, advanced with the 313th Regi-
ment, and shot ten rounds of thermite against
some "pill-boxes" from which the hostile gun-
crews had been causing very heavy casualties.
With no further trouble an infantry platoon rushed
the nests and captured their occupants. In the
evening another battalion of the same regiment
made an advance with very few casualties behind
one of our smoke screens ; and the next morning,

144 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

with another "show," we helped them to take the
first defenses of Montfaucon. But we had mean-
time paid the price. Privates Cans and Shields
were killed near their guns, and on the following
day were buried where they fell. On the same day,
too, in another action. Private Mitchell was killed
and Private McAlpine of Company B. These four
were our only deaths in the first twelve days of
the battle.

On the second day of the drive, in addition to
the operation of Company D already noted, four
others were executed — two by Company E and
one each by C and F. Company F established a
smoke screen on the River Meuse to blot out enemy
observation and to assist in the consolidation of
the line. Two gun teams of Company E, working
with the 306th Infantry, were called to cooperate
with the artillery for the purpose of supporting
an attack on the St. Hubert Pavilion in the Ar-
gonne. At 5 p.m. a barrage of smoke was laid down
and 30 rounds of thermite shot ; but the infantry
failed to attack. The next morning, however, we
fired some more thermite, and this time the in-
fantry attained its objective without opposition
from our targets. Equal success attended a bom-
bardment by Company C on September 27, when
machine-gunners at the edge of Charpentry were
put out of action by thermite bombs, and the in-

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 145

fantry subsequently took the town. After spend-
ing the next day in Charpentry, Company C at-
tacked some further targets near Exermont; but
though the infantry advanced, they were later
forced back. Two of our guns then had to be aban-
doned, though the breech-blocks were taken with
us and one gun was subsequently recovered. In
addition to this action the 29th witnessed four
other operations. Five bombs from one of E's guns
in the Bois de la Grurie demolished a machine-
gun which had been holding up a whole battalion,
while further east, near Montblainville, men from
another platoon fired upon some targets in a
densely wooded hill, without being able to facili-
tate the infantry advance. During the same day,
Company B's first platoon carried out two "shows"
in connection with the 147th and 148th Infantry.
The former, having asked for a smoke screen to
flank the village of Cierges, was relieved on the
night of the 28th by the 148th — a change of
which we were not advised. The plans of the new
assaulting battalion were different, and necessi-
tated changing our angle of fire and securing more
ammunition. We were given no time to procure
additional bombs, but undertook the operation
with the 15 rounds available. Later in the day
the same platoon, after assisting another bat-
talion (near the Bois Emont) to advance with little

146 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

difficulty, was rewarded with the report of the
officer in charge that the operation had been a
great success.

Save for a thermite bombardment of hostile
dugouts by two guns of Company E, there was no
action on September 30 or October i. On October
2 at 11.30 P.M. Company F carried out our first
gas attack in this battle. Fifty-six projectors dis-
charged phosgene bombs upon Vilosnes, calling
down severe retaliation upon the rear of our bat-
tery positions and preventing our infantry from
encouraging a second projector "show." ^ The
remaining operations before the close of the first
phase (October 2 and 3) were executed by Com-
pany E. An attack upon machine-guns in the
Bois d'Apremont by men from the second and
third platoons was to assist an infantry advance
which never materialized. At the same time two
other teams, who had carried their guns up a
precipitous ascent in the dark, fired 90 rounds of
smoke and thermite. The result was a slight
advance, though the following day an even heavier
bombardment failed to prepare the way for a raid
planned by the iiith Infantry.

1 To show how far this attack echoed, we may refer to the
Clarksburg (W.Va.) Daily Telegram of October 4, which under the
headlines "Americans launch great gas attack," announces that
"a successful gas attack was made by the Americans on this front
yesterday, at Vilosnes, on the Meuse, above Dannevoux."

COM

.1 lluijliL-s 6: Kjtabrook, X.V.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 147

By a somewhat artificial division, the day of
these actions, October 3, marks the end of the
first phase of the Argonne-Meuse Operation. The
conclusion of this period of eight days gives an
opportunity to review not only the work of the
Army, but also, in greater detail, the experiences
of our own regiment.

After September 26, when the advance was
rapid, the Army made little progress during the
ensuing week. In fact, even the fighting of the next
month did hardly more than double the first long
strides. Though hand-to-hand combats broke out
fiercely in places, they played a small part in the
actions. Most of the resistance encountered was
from machine-guns and artillery. In great quanti-
ties these were cleverly concealed and skillfully and
aggressively utilized. The front along our advance,
lightly held for some time past, had already been
reinforced before the attack; and from the first
day onward heavy reinforcements were contin-
ually added. Before the end of the war over forty
divisions had been thrown in to defeat our drive.
Indeed, no more determined or desperate opposi-
tion faced any army during these final weeks. To
overcome it, we too used a large part of our avail-
able resources. There were few divisions fit for
such work that did not at one time or another see
action. Not a few of these, including some which

148 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

began the battle, were untried, and had to win
their experience as they went. Mistakes were eas-
ily noted and frankly admitted ; and even disap-
pointment was a passing phase. But while we were
aware that our army was new and not faultless, we
knew that in the long run it was invincible. Con-
fidence in ultimate victory and admiration for the
dogged energy with which it was pursued were
therefore uppermost. And even during these ear-
liest weeks the background of the world war
brought us added hope and enthusiasm. AlHed
victories in Macedonia and Palestine, the British
capture of Cambrai, and the collapse of Bulgaria
— these were the great events of the time.

In cooperating with the Army during this phase,
our own share of work had been large. After the
sixteen operations at "H" hour, twenty-six more
were carried out before October 4 — a total of
forty-two, which represents half of the number of
our "shows" in the entire offensive. But when
this record from the formal report is stated, only
half the story is told. History with any human
feelings must take account of what we attempted,
what we encountered, and what we endured.

In the first place, operations not executed often
entail as much labor and skill as those that are
reported. On at least six occasions in the first few
days (three times, for instance, with Company B),

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 149

platoons went through the stages of reconnais-
sance, hasty carrying, and emplacement, only to
find that the operation had been canceled. Some-
times targets had been wrongly reported; some-
times the plans of the infantry changed; more
often some new wave of the advance captured or
encircled the point at which we were aiming. At
times these abortive attempts were due only to
the fortunes of war, at others the failure of "liai-
son "was responsible. Infantry commanders were
not accustomed to cooperating with odd units
like ours, and since we were literally "assigned"
to divisions and brigades, we were frequently at
the mercy of very local authorities. As the tech-
nique of employing gas troops was brand new, it
is not surprising that trouble occasionally arose.
In several instances, for example, our leaders were
not notified of the progress of reliefs or of other
movements of troops ; and once two of our gun
teams found themselves isolated far in front of a
retiring line of the infantry. Men vary widely in
their capacity to meet novel situations and to
utilize new instruments, and our lieutenants and
captains naturally encountered in infantry com-
manders every variety of attitude and method.
In most cases they readily caught the point of
smoke screens and thermite. But gas could seldom
get a hearing. Only one small gas operation

150 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

marked the first eight days, and it took weeks to
make that percentage increase as it ought. Many
an officer was afraid of the very name of gas, for
to soldiers trained in gas defense alone, gas is
merely something to avoid. Our work, too, was not
made easier by the fact that we could never take
the initiative in actual combat. Always our duty
was contingent; we had to watch and scheme how
to fit in with the infantry. On the whole, however,
as we look back, such difficulties, exasperating
enough at the time, were inevitable parts of the
process of learning a big new game together under
stress of battle.

While we were encouraging the infantry to use
our specialties, we often found it possible to help
them in other ways.^ Our story has already in-

^ Headquarters First Battalion
First Gas Regiment
American Expeditionary Forces
28 October 191 8
Memorandum to Colonel Atkisson:

1. As showing the spirit of the First Gas Regiment in being at
all times willing and ready to render assistance in any form to
other arms, I believe the following is of interest:

2. I heard several of the enlisted men make the statement that
Company C had provided hot mess for fully a thousand men of
other units during the second day of the recent drive in and around
Cheppy and Charpentry. Being somewhat skeptical about so great
a number having been provided for, I made inquiry and found that
three large kettles of coffee, each holding from 250 ^to 300 cups of
coflfee, were prepared, and rations in similar quantities were given
out. Further, the kitchen was in operation throughout the twen-
ty-four hours supplying food to men who were out of touch with
their units or which could not supply them with hot mess.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 151

eluded several striking cases in which our men cap-
tured guns and their crews. But the taking of
prisoners was a familiar occurrence in nearly all
the platoons. Lieutenant Catlett's platoon, for in-
stance, captured eleven. Corporal Graves went
further. He had been assigned as a runner to the
Regimental P.C. of the 131st. Accompanied by a
dozen infantry runners, of whom he was in charge,
he undertook a brush with the enemy, and led in
the capture of forty Boches. Most of such cases
occurred after the first wave of the infantry had
passed; but there are not a few cases of our de-
tachments reaching the objective with the first
wave, or ev^n ahead of it.

All the while our men were living under condi-
tions of severe hardship and steady strain. For the
first few days there was little or no hot food. "Iron
rations" seldom lasted long, and Boche rations

3. This liberal spirit was further exemplified in connection with
a Platoon of Company "E" under the charge of Lieutenant
Robinson, I believe, during the drive in the Toul sector. Returning
from the line late one night and finding no rations immediately
available, he applied to a near-by company for assistance, but they
stated they were also entirely out. A Major of Marines stand-
ing by asked Lieutenant Robinson the name of his unit and,
upon learning it, had his own kitchen provide the platoon with
coffee and rations, and the following day sent a supply of dough-
nuts, because, as he explained it, of the reputation the First Gas
Regiment had for liberally supplying his own and other units
with rations upon numerous occasions.

L. LOWENBERG

Captain, 1st Gas Regiment

152 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

were everywhere a welcome supplement. If food
was scarce, rest was even rarer. There was as
much work by night as by day. Billets were of
every description. E Company, in the historic
town of Varennes, camped in enemy dugouts
after carrying out some dead Germans. B com-
pany took similar shelters overlooking the battered
village of Very, and D found quarters in the woods
south of Montfaucon and west of Malancourt. At
Gercourt many F Company men made their way
into Boche dugouts forty feet underground, while
A Company spent their few hours of rest in cellars
in Cumieres or in holes on the slopes of the famous
hill, Le Mort Homme.

Even these informal homes could be used only in
snatches, and could not always provide safety.
The strain of both effort and danger was constant.
It was seldom that any platoon went for long with-
out exposure to shell-fire. There were long night
carries under heavy bombardment. There were
gas barrages and the fire of machine-guns. Almost
as hard to bear were the constant suspense and
uncertainty — the questions so hard to answer,
of "What next?" and "How long?" And all this
against a background of rain and mud and fog and
dirt and blood, and often in the presence of the
wounded and the dead.

But shelling and long marches and severe ex-

TRENCHES NEAR " LE MORT HOMME'

NAXTILLOIS

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 153

posure could never dull the appetite for adventure
and novelty, for while Americans can be desper-
ately earnest about war, they can never be wholly
serious. There were really no "leisure moments";
but such empty moments as occurred were usually
devoted to the continued quest for souvenirs and
to the subsequent comparison of notes or barter of
goods. Not for nothing did our men (when ques-
tioned as to their unit) call themselves the "First
Souvenir Hunters." Small property was not the
only kind sought. We were always eager for more
transportation, and even Boche horses were oc-
casionally "salvaged." With mules, however, we
were not always so lucky. Some D Company men
found a mule half-buried in a caved-in shell-hole.
Getting him out seemed a light task considering
the prize so easily won. With much labor they
joined in digging to free him, and finally hauled
him out successfully to level ground. Whereupon,
as they stood watching him, in an admiring circle,
he calmly lay down and definitely died.

More sportsmanlike than collecting enemy
goods was the favorite pastime of shooting at
enemy aeroplanes. Our mastery of the air was
found to be more convincing on paper than in
action, for often the German aviators flew over
our lines not merely to observe, but to attack with
their machine-guns. A group of our men lined up

154 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

for "sick-call," was once scattered by such fire,
and the infantry were frequent sufferers. On all
occasions when the enemy's flight was low or his
numbers great, our men would blaze away at him
with rifles ; and D Company (probably quite accu-
rately) attests the destruction of two machines.

Such diversions could brighten an hour here
and there, but they could not help us to avoid the
strain of the fight or the inevitable losses of war.
In this first phase our casualties were heavy.
Though fortunate, as we have seen, in having but
four men killed, our losses in wounded were
many. One hundred and twenty-four men had
been wounded — 17 of them severely. Of the re-
maining 104, 91 were gas cases, three quarters of
whom were equally divided between Companies
A and C. The former lost a large group on Sep-
tember 28 from the effects of mustard gas, but the
majority returned to duty before long. Four days
later Company C was heavily hit by an equal
number of more serious cases. Before September
was over three officers had also been wounded
— Lieutenants Smiley and Cooper slightly, Lieu-
tenant Weakland more seriously. For every man
wounded a dozen had lucky escapes. Again and
again whole platoons barely escaped destruction.
Billets next to them would be shattered by a shell
or groups of infantry near them knocked to pieces.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 155

Luckiest of these narrow squeaks was the occasion
when Engineer Kelly and two sergeants were to-
gether in one shell-hole with Lieutenant Cooper.
The latter was seated jauntily with his legs apart
— when right between them landed a " dud " shell.

No account of our wounded would be complete
without the most honorable mention of the men
of our medical detachment. Their officers shared
the fortunes of the men at the front, and gave
themselves completely to keeping the soldiers in
fit condition ; and the enlisted men were both con-
stant and gallant in their efforts. No story of any
fight is told by their comrades without some praise
of their work. Not only did they give aid to our
own wounded, but time and again they were fore-
most in caring for scores of the infantry and in
facing many dangers to come to their assistance.
Only one case among many is the distinguished
service of Private Higgs which won the D.S.C.^

Most severe among our single disasters was the
loss suffered by Company C. At 2 a.m. on October
2 all of the company officers, with Engineer Allen,
were sleeping in one dugout at Charpentry. A
mustard-gas shell exploded in one of the door-
ways ; and by morning every occupant was carried
to the hospital severely gassed. The officers were
Lieutenants Webster, Owen, Brumhall, Jabine,

* See Appendix E.

156 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

and Everett of C, and Goss of the Medical Corps.
At one stroke the company was deprived of all
officers, and at a time when many of the "non-
coms" were also gas cases. Engineer Hough took
command ; and by trusting to the remaining ser-
geants, who never failed, and by rapid transfers
and additions of other officers, the company was
soon reorganized. Five days later it was able to
carry out a " show." Lieutenants Webster, Brum-
hall, and Jabine, after six or more weeks in hos-
pitals, ultimately recovered; but only Webster
was able to rejoin us before we sailed. For long we
had hope that the others would slowly get well
and be with us again. But, though we did not
know it at the time, the news reached us two
months later that before October 9, Lieutenants
Goss, Owen, and Everett, and Engineer Allen
had died.

Of all our excellent non-commissioned officers
none was more trusted or more admired by his
men and his officers than Allen. Formerly a ser-
geant in Company B, he was soon to have been
commissioned, and in his death the regiment lost
a thoroughly fine officer. Lieutenant Goss, one of
our four doctors, had been devoted and untiring
in his work. He had given his best without stint,
and those whom he helped and with whom he
shared every hardship remember him gratefully.

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ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 157

One of the first officers whom the Colonel asked to
join the regiment was Lieutenant Owen, for his
reputation as an electrician had been won at the
Panama Canal. Handicapped by illness during
the actions at the British front, he had been later
assigned to Company C. There he achieved an
admirable record of efficiency. As a friend in-
creasingly appreciated, and as a soldier increas-
ingly valuable, we found it hard to lose him. Lieu-
tenant Everett had seen earlier service in the
army, and his past experience both as a veteran
soldier and as an expert mechanic made him dou-
bly valuable. After some months of service as a
master engineer in charge of transportation, he
had been commissioned, and served during the
summer with Company C. No officer in the regi-
ment had shown more ability in the tasks assigned
him or greater gallantry in the field. He could
have commanded a company with distinction, and
within a few months the opportunity would have
been his. A born leader of men and the highest
type of soldier, he was likewise, in character, true
and simple and straight. He was sorely missed.

THE SECOND PHASE

(October 4 to October 31)
On October 4, without noticing any change, the
regiment passed into the Second Phase of the

158 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

battle, and continued therein until November i.
During this period the work of the army consisted
of steady hammering along a line that was half-
stabilized, with local advances here and there, sel-
dom involving more than a division. We were
therefore not obliged to carry out the extensive
"follow-up" work incident to the progress of a
general battle. But we were called upon frequently
to produce almost every feature of our repertoire,
for some unit was always advancing somewhere,
and machine-gun resistance was as vigorous as
ever.

To begin, as before, with our companies in the
Argonne, the second platoon of Company E on
October 4 installed two guns in the Bois d'Apre-
mont to silence some machine-guns for the 305th
Infantry. We shot 51 rounds of thermite, but after
the fifth round all enemy fire ceased. On the fol-
lowing morning from a new position, two guns
again went into action to help the same regiment
in a flank assault upon some strong point. After
the first ten minutes of a bombardment of 96
rounds, the German machine-guns were silenced,
and their artillery tried in vain to locate our posi-
tion. The infantry advance, however, was thrown
back. Two days later a successful gas "shoot"
added a touch of variety to the daily work. At
I A.M. on October 7 we fired 50 rounds of phosgene

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 159

on enemy troops — an attack which soon over-
came the first machine-gun retaliation. Before
this last operation, another platoon of E Com-
pany had been working for a week in the neigh-
borhood of Le Chene Tondu, a thickly wooded
summit west of Apremont. Two "shows" in the
previous phase had been carried out, and three
guns had been set up in a rather exposed position.
"Zero" hour was first fixed and then changed
several times during the succeeding three days,
while the men were dodging the bullets of snipers
and machine-gunners. At length on October 5,
still under fire, the gun-crews shot 90 rounds of
smoke and 77 of thermite, while the infantry
went forward for a small gain. This section had
spent four days and nights on Le Chene Tondu,
sleeping in the open and living on iron rations.
During that time six men had been wounded, and
all were ready to welcome the later rapid infantry
advance which made further work unnecessary.
After October 7, Company E had no further per-
formance till November i. But for a time there
were only brief chances for rest, since reconnais-
sance and constant movement continued. One
section reconnoitered and partly prepared for an
attack in a dangerous sector near Grandpre. An-
other moved to Fleville, then one of the liveliest
spots on the front. Here reconnaissance was con-

i6o THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

ducted in anticipation of an infantry advance
upon Im6court. Upon one of these expeditions
Lieutenant Fleming was severely wounded. He
was taken to a hospital, and died the following
day. On October 17 he was buried with full mili-
tary honors at the cemetery at Froidos. As second
in command of Company E, Fleming had been an
exceptionally able and popular leader, the life of
the company, and a genial and lovable friend to
many intimates. We mourned him sincerely and
felt his loss continually. The day after his burial
(October 18) Company E gathered at La Grange-
aux-Bois near Ste. Menehould. Casualties had
been few; but all the men were weary and many
sick, and they heartily welcomed the next nine
days devoted to rest and refitting.

During this month Company C's adventures
were few. After suffering from the heavy gas casu-
alties already noted, the company was withdrawn
to Les Islettes — one platoon remaining forward
for action. On October 7 this unit conducted an
operation for the First Infantry Brigade. Twenty
rounds of thermite were used against three tar-
gets near Hill 240, and the advancing infantry
reported no machine-gun fire from these points.
Operating later with the Forty-second Division,
which had relieved the First, two mortars were
prepared for an attack on October 14, but at the

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 161

last moment the "show" was canceled. Thence-
forward Company C was not called upon for ac-
tion until the Last Phase. The men were moved
on October 18 to La Grange-aux-Bois, where,
with E Company, they were given time to recu-
perate and reorganize.

During the first five days of the Second Phase
Company B was given opportunities for five
"shows." On October 5 the second platoon car-
ried out two operations, both in connection with
an advance of the 127th Infantry (Thirty-second
Division). The first, at 5.55 A.M., consisted of five
rounds of thermite, together with a smoke screen
masking the advance of the infantry into the Bois
de la Morine, At six o'clock that same evening,
from a position further forward, 15 rounds of
smoke and 5 of thermite were shot to mask the
enemy's position at Gesnes and to bombard the
area within. The officer in command of the infan-
try battalion reported that the screen had ren-
dered him valuable assistance, and that he had
been able to accomplish successfully the improve-
ment of his defenses. Extensive infantry reliefs
then being conducted prevented work for the
next three days. On October 9, the third platoon,
which had replaced the second, installed seven
projectors, and at 8 a.m. fired high explosive
drums against hostile dugouts on Hill 255. Simul-

i62 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

taneously a screen of smoke was laid along the
edge of the woods near by; but for reasons un-
known to us the infantry failed to move. Another
operation to which the infantry failed to respond
had been executed the previous day by the first
platoon, who had set up their guns south of
Gesnes. From there eight rounds of thermite were
discharged against the enemy's position and an
excellent smoke screen established. But, because
of insufficient artillery preparation, the 126th In-
fantry did not attack — a failure much regretted
by the brigadier in command, who praised our
performance. On October 10 the whole of B Com-
pany reassembled at Ville-sur-Cousances next to
Battalion Headquarters, there to enjoy ten days
of much needed rest and refitting.

Company D's contributions to the Second
Phase were the two operations of October 4 and 9,
both under direction of the Third Division. Three
platoons, billeted in huts south of Cierges, were
constantly shelled, and reconnaissance and prepa-
ration were carried out under conditions unusu-
ally hazardous. On October 4 two platoons moved
forward to the northern edge of Cierges, and in-
stalled four mortars. At 4 p.m. they fired 40
rounds of smoke, establishing a screen north of the
town. Five days afterward, the third platoon pre-
pared to assist the 30th Infantry by throwing a

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 163

flank screen along the Bois de Cunel. At 9.02 a.m.
40 rounds of thermite were discharged, and by its
aid the infantry advanced with success.

Just before the guns had been installed the ex-
plosion of an enemy shell wounded six men and
instantly killed Lieutenant Rideout.^ This sudden
loss was keenly felt by Company D and through-
out the regiment. Rideout had been unexcelled as
a daring and effective officer. From the day at St.
Thibaut, when he had held the town with a dozen
followers, down to the day of his death, he had
won the devotion and confidence not only of his
commanding officers but of all the men. His con-
spicuous gallantry on many occasions is an honor
to the regiment, and has been fitly commemorated
by his Distinguished Service Cross. ^

On October 11, Company D joined Company B
at Ville-sur-Cousances, and took advantage ot the
same brief period for change and refreshment.
Thenceforward no further operations were carried
out by the First and Second Battalions until the
beginning of the Third Phase on November i.
The Provisional Battalion, however, which had
seen much less service since the first few days, was
ready to resume activity and to represent us at the
front during the next two weeks. Within that

1 The next day he was buried with full military honors at the
cemetery at Froidos.

* Awarded after his death. See Appendix E.

i64 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

time F Company executed nine "shoots" and A
Company four.

The first two of F Company's "shows" were
with the Fourth Division. On October 9 this divi-
sion undertook an advance between the Bois de
Fays and the Bois de Brieulles. To help them
cross the open space between, four Stokes mortars
were installed in the northwest corner of the latter
wood. When the move began at 10 a.m. a heavy
fog rendered an artificial screen unnecessary. But,
as the mist cleared, our gun teams began firing,
and during the next half-hour sent over 20 rounds
of smoke. Between 3.20 and 4.25 in the afternoon
80 more rounds were fired to create a further
screen during the passage of reinforcements across
the exposed area. On the nth, 60 projectors were
installed in preparation for a gas attack, but at
the last moment the infantry moved forward, and
the operation was canceled. The next day Com-
pany F was assigned to the Seventeenth French
Corps, and moved at once to Verdun.

Meanwhile, Company A had been busy with
the Eightieth Division. During October 6, 7, and
8, one platoon north of Nantillois spent seventy-
two hours standing by with their guns prepared to
use thermite to repel an expected counter-attack.
Our presence there appears to have comforted the
infantry ; but the incident offers a poor example of

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ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 165

the correct use of gas troops on the defensive.
During the night of the 5th, Lieutenant Catlett
and his section conducted a reconnaissance, and in-
stalled their guns under exceptionally risky condi-
tions. All night the men were without shelter amid
a continued alternation of gas and high explosive
barrages, and before the morning. Lieutenant
Catlett had been severely wounded. By October 9,
the infantry were ready to advance north of Nan-
tillois, and seven of our Stokes mortars were pre-
pared for action at 5 a.m. The infantry, however,
were delayed by the corps on the left, and the
movement did not begin until 3.30 p.m. The left
flank of the infantry was then protected by a
smoke barrage, and 66 rounds of thermite were
fired upon machine-gun nests. The German bar-
racks were set on fire, and the infantry officers ex-
pressed great satisfaction with our work. Our as-
sistance was again called for on the nth, when
two mortars were set up to fire upon machine-gun
emplacements in the Bois de Fays. Before "zero"
hour a heavy barrage was laid by the enemy in
front of our guns ; but our men stood by gallantly
and carried out the attack at the appointed time.
The infantry commanders were not only pleased
with our "show," but spoke in high terms of the
conduct of the gun-crews. The following day, the
Fifth Division moved in ; and on October 14 a pla-

i66 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

toon assisted the 6oth Infantry with a smoke and
thermite attack, under heavy shell-fire, upon tar-
gets back of the village of Cunel. Two days after-
ward the Company was assigned to the Third Di-
vision. With them, as with their predecessors, we
continued to plead for chances to use gas ; but not
until October 20 did the opportunity come. Sev-
enty-six bombs of phosgene were discharged from
mortars upon a group of machine-guns on the
right flank of the infantry advance. The enemy
was immediately put out of action, and the net
result of the operation was the easy capture of 1 1
machine-guns and 43 prisoners. After spending
the four succeeding days in awaiting further op-
portunities, the company was moved back on
October 25 to Verdun. The men had been living
in rain and mud and gas for many days ; the casu-
alties numbered over 40, and the sick as many
more. In fact, at the end of the month not more
than 75 fit men were present for duty. The en-
suing two weeks of rest at Verdun were sorely
needed.

Company F, as we have seen, had been at-
tached on the 1 2th to the Seventeenth French
Corps. Working at first with the Tenth French
Colonial Division and later with the American
Twenty-sixth, this company conducted the only
operations of our regiment during the last half of

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 167

October. 1 The striking feature of these seven
"shows" was that gas played a part in four of
them. The first was a genuine old-fashioned pro-
jector attack upon a scale larger than we had been
allowed to attempt since August. The front, too,
was of the old-fashioned stable kind. The "show"
was a hard one to prepare. The positions were
only 300 meters from the Germans, who often
helped us to see our work by their frequent use of
"Very lights." The carry was 900 yards over slip-
pery paths through a section often shelled with
mustard gas. During two black and rainy nights
the labor of preparation went on. The French as-
sisted us with a covering party, and provided also
100 men, as well as horses and tram-cars, to aid
in the carrying. After a brief experience, the poilus
expressed the conviction that Americans were ac-
customed to work much too hard ! Two hundred
and thirty-seven projectors were installed in three
different emplacements in the Bois de Caurrieres,^
to fire upon three targets averaging 1600 yards in
distance. At 3.30 a.m. on October 16, in the midst
of a dense fog and rain, 197 drums were dis-
charged to the accompaniment of an artillery
bombardment of the enemy's trenches. The re-
maining 40 projectors were fired at 11 p.m. the

^ Except for the A Company operation just recorded.
' A position two miles east of Louvemont.

i68 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

same day. No noticeable retaliation followed
either attack, and "intelligence" later received
confirmed the fact that the enemy had suffered
severe casualties.

The subsequent operations constituted a rapid
series of Stokes mortar "shows" carried out along
the Twenty-sixth Division front. After risky re-
connaissances, accompanied by some narrow es-
capes, emplacements were selected in the southern
edge of the Bois d'Ormont and targets in the east-
ern part of the same wood. On October 21, at
7 A.M. and 3 P.M. two attacks were made, the first
with smoke and phosgene, the second with phos-
gene and thermite. The aim was so to vary our
time and our dose as to subject the enemy to the
strain of constant guessing. If similar methods
could have been adopted all along the front, the
results would surely have been fruitful. In keeping
with these tactics, a third bombardment was exe-
cuted on October 22 (8 a.m.) with thermite and
smoke and two others the next day (8 a.m. and
2 P.M.). By this time the enemy had located our
position, and we proposed to attack from a new
point. But since the infantry commander objected
to further activity, no other chances occurred.
Within a few days F Company was transferred to
a new sector, south of Romagne, there to prepare
for the attacks of the Third Phase.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 169

During the four weeks of the Second Phase the
army advanced a distance little greater than the
distance it had achieved during the eight days of
the First Phase. The progress of the American
divisions had been bitterly contested, and their
casualties had been heavy. WHiile the struggle was
going on, our regiment had been able to keep from
one to five companies at the front and ready to
cooperate. These units carried out 25 operations,
averaging nearly one a day. To make possible our
continued fitness to fight, it had proved necessary
after the first ten days, first to remove to the rear
the sick and exhausted, and later to let the task
of working at the front rotate among the platoons.
This scheme prevented useless wear and tear, and
enabled us to give rest to the majority of the men
and still to keep ready for action the only units
actually needed. As the lines became partly sta-
bilized, and our methods grew to be recognized,
there was less confusion than before, less waste
labor, and greater ease in cooperation. Opportuni-
ties arose for the use of every variety of attack,
and even gas was given its chance. But, though its
value was increasingly appreciated, it was never
permitted with any approach to the frequency for
which the situation called.

In spite of slow progress — indeed, often be-
cause of it — the front was one long battle-field.

lyo THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

As the preceding story will have made clear, our
men near the Hne continued to be subject to con-
stant shell-fire both in action and in billets. A
Company in Gercourt, where Corporal Buxton
was killed, B's platoons in the valley east of V6ry,
and D's in the woods at Cierges — these are only
a few of the instances when we lived in spots too
hot for safety. That soldiers should thus be in
danger would hardly be worthy of comment, were
it not for the fact that, as a regiment, we had no
relief. The infantry, of course, suffered far heav-
ier punishment; but it could come and go, while
we often felt that we were going on forever.
Our strength was further worn down by sickness,
due to frequent exposure and much intolerable
weather. It is not surprising, then, that our four
weeks' losses should not have been light. We had
in this phase, nearly 200 cases of sickness. Among
the enlisted men 78 were wounded — three se-
verely. Half of the total were gas cases. Among
the officers, seven were wounded, one severely. In
addition to these, three officers and two men died
of wounds, and one officer and one man were killed
in action. While we had not escaped easily, our
good fortune had often been remarkable, and that
so very few had been killed, was ground for
gratitude.
^ While the Army as a whole was undergoing but

COM]

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Iliu.'h.- .V I-Nt,ibrook. N.Y.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 171

one phase, our own history in these days really
has two — life at the front and life in the rear.
During most of October from one to five com-
panies were in rest billets far from the front — C
and E in La Grange-aux-Bois, B and D at Ville-
sur-Cousances and A and F at Verdun. Though
shells occasionally reached Verdun and air raids
were not unknown in the other towns, there was
genuine relief from the continued strain of the
days of action. Exhausted though they were, the
men were always ready for a chance to shoot.
But when fighting was not feasible the change was
gratefully relished. The mere relaxation was often
sufhcient to make recuperation rapid — a process
always hastened by the luxury of clean clothes
and hot baths. At Verdun and La Grange even
entertainments were now and again available, and
there was spare time enough for the beginnings of
soccer football. Even these days, however, were
not holidays. Training schedules were established
and drills resumed. After frequent inspections, re-
fitting was thoroughly carried out. And, finally,
replacements from Company Q brought up to
normal strength companies that had been fifty
per-cent depleted. At the same time changes in
officer personnel continued the process. We had
not only lost some of our best officers, but a second
group had been sent back to America, to share in

172 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

the training and command of prospective new
regiments.^ The list included Lieutenant-Colonel
Crawford, whose three months experience in com-
manding gas troops had insured his high value
during the first weeks of the battle. He was re-
placed at the end of October by Lieutenant-
Colonel Rockwell, who remained with the regi-
ment for a month before leaving us to become
Chief Gas Officer of the Third Army. Thirteen
other officers — first and second lieutenants —
joined the organization during this phase, some
for temporary duty, others as permanent addi-
tions.

Before the end of the last week of October, all
the companies except A were back at the front
again, to prepare for our share in the second big
advance which was to open the Third Phase.
Company D went up as early as October 20 and
billeted in Fleville, where shells were constantly
bursting both in the houses and in the streets.
Work was begun at once upon the installation of
160 projectors in the woods one and a half kilo-
meters south of St. Georges. The purpose was to
assist the coming assault of the Forty-second Di-
vision. When the Second Division moved in a
week later, their plans were found to include a

^ Additional gaps were caused by the departure of a dozen
N.C.O.'s to the Officers' Training School at Choignes.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 173

direct attack on Landres-et-St. Georges. To meet
the new conditions, 40 more projectors were dug
in on the forward slope of the hill one and a half
kilometers southwest of this town, and a Stokes
mortar emplacement was prepared In the woods
near by. On October 21, Company B went for-
ward to a sector to the right of Company D, but
was not allowed to undertake any operation until
just before the assault on November i. Company
E moved to the front on October 28, and went
into billets at Cornay, where the men were shelled
every night. Digging began at once for the pro-
jector attack about to take place. C Company
sent up one platoon to the 305th Infantry of the
Seventy-seventh Division ; and F Company swung
over to the sector east of B. Advanced Regimental
Headquarters was established at Montfaucon.
Five companies were now prepared to take part
in the last great drive.

The Third Phase and, as we hoped, the last,
began in the midst of a world of Inspiring news.
During October the German peace offer, followed
by several notes, went side by side with the great
British successes in Flanders and the French in
Champagne. Before November i Turkey had col-
lapsed and Austria was on the verge of surrender.
Our new offensive opened with the high confidence
that victory was at hand.

174 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

THE THIRD PHASE
(November i to November ii)

As part of a concerted offensive along the whole
western front from the Dutch border to Pont-^-
Mousson, the American First Army advanced
once more on the morning of November i. After a
terrific artillery preparation — one hurricane of
fire along our entire sector — the attack was
launched at 5.30 a.m. In aiding this initial assault
our regiment executed 14 operations west of the
Meuse. Previous to "H" hour, at 3.30 a.m., Com-
pany E (assigned to the Eightieth Division) dis-
charged 20 high explosive projector bombs and 20
gas bombs from an emplacement between St.
Juvin and Landres-et-St. Georges. At the same
hour Stokes mortars fired 41 gas bombs and 24
thermite. On this morning conditions on the front
line were more hazardous and perturbed than be-
fore any of our previous "zero's." The heaviest
risks were run, and our casualties were severe.
Company E's platoon was caught in a barrage.
One man was killed and many slightly gassed ; but
all of our own wounded and many of the infantry
were carried back by our men to Sommerance
under shell-fire.

Likewise, at two hours before "zero," Com-
pany D discharged 80 projector drums of phos-

Courtesy of llugln-^ & Kstabrouk, X.V

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 175

gene upon strong points directly south of St.
Georges. Since the wind was due south and carried
the gas through the village and down the ravine
northward, enemy casualties were heavy. Prison-
ers later reported some 300 gas cases, and more
than 20 bodies of men killed by gas were found on
the position. Later, at one minute before "zero,"
another group of 40 projectors discharged high
explosive bombs upon the same targets, and still
another launched the same number upon machine-
gun nests southeast of Landres-et-St. Georges.
The bombardment was completed by the work of
eight Stokes mortars established at two different
positions more than a hundred yards ahead of the
front line. The first set fired 22 rounds of thermite
and the second 28 — successfully covering four
different targets. At the beginning of this action,
Captain Steidle was wounded by a shell fragment
in his right eye. The regiment was later grieved to
hear that he had lost the sight of this eye. But
in December we were grateful to be able to wel-
come him back with a new eye named "Lulu,"
and with a new assignment as Battalion Com-
mander.

Company F, too, is responsible for a "pre-zero-
show" in the Ninetieth Division sector. At 2.30
A.M. four Stokes mortars in the northern edge of
the Bois de Bantheville fired 18 rounds of ther-

176 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

mite. A projector "shoot" was prevented only
by adverse wind conditions.

Of the remaining six operations, carried out
exactly at 5.30, five were smoke screens directly
assisting the infantry advance.^ Company C fired
thermite and smoke bombs on machine-guns be-
yond the Ravin aux Pierres, and silenced their
fire. Company B had been given the task of
screening the northern edge of the Bois de Ban-
theville and of laying another smoke barrage in
front of La d'Huy Ferme. To effect the former,
six guns had been set up on a hill in the northern
section of the wood. At "zero " 23 of the 60 rounds
planned were fired. Further work was impossible,
for the guns had settled deeply into the soft
ground of the emplacement. But even with such
assistance as we could give, the advancing troops
passed across the open valley under cover of the
smoke, aided by a slight fog, and entered the
woods without opposition. During the action
Private Partridge had been killed and three men
wounded. Still earlier in the morning Privates
Slamon and Bleight were also killed.

1 The American edition of the London Daily Mail for Novem-
ber 3 contained the following passage:

"Yesterday's fighting, however, holds the chief point of interest.
The spectacular barrage, as I saw it, with its bursts of blood-red
thermite, was an awe-inspiring spectacle. . . . Then the tanks lum-
bered forward and, following them, the Americans disappeared in
the mist through the woods and up and over the ridges."

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 177

The screen in front of the farm rendered valu-
able aid to the satisfaction of the infantry com-
mander, for though several machine-guns were cap-
tured there, they had not impeded the advance.
From part of the same wood gun-crews of Com-
pany F had been firing 20 rounds of smoke. Just
as the men had finished firing and were preparing
to move forward, a shell exploded close in front of
the position, killed five men ^ and wounded eight
others.

Though our losses were severer than usual, and
though the infantry met some sharp resistance
during the first morning, the advance thereafter
was amazingly rapid. Progress was everywhere
easier than we had dared to hope ; and within four
days the army had achieved an advance double
that of the past six weeks. Indeed, those who
watched maps at Regimental Headquarters were
constantly embarrassed by the fact that no sooner
was a section map installed for observation, than
the infantry would walk right off it. If it was hard
to keep pace with them on a map, it may be
imagined how difficult it was to keep pace with
them on foot. Except for Company C, however,
(which had been pledged for later use In crossing
the Meuse) all the five companies' gun teams at-

^ Privates First Class Mely, Anderson, and Hansen, and Geagon
(Medical Detachment) and Private Western.

178 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

tempted to continue their auxiliary work. But
from then on until the end of the war, despite our
readiness, we were actually called upon for only
three more operations.

For five days Company E followed the infan-
try with gun teams and ammunition. The men
moved from Sivry to Buzancy to Sommauthe and
on to La Besac, keeping with the attacking bat-
talion, and bivouacking as they went; but no
opportunities to act were afforded, and on No-
vember 7 the company was ordered back to AUie-
pont. With equal energy Company D took part in
the advance of the Second Division. Keeping one
platoon ahead with the foremost brigade, the
company reached Bayonville by November 3.
The 5th they moved to Nouart and the 8th to
Beaumont. Company B, after trailing the success-
ful progress of the Eighty-ninth Division, was
assembled on November 4 at Nouart, and by
November 8 had still no chances to serve. On
November 8 Company C had been attached to
the Fifth Division, and moved eastward to
Brieulles. On the 9th, one platoon advanced to
Murvaux and the next day to Brandeville. Thor-
ough reconnaissance was meanwhile conducted.
Besides keeping in touch with the Ninetieth Divi-
sion, which required no help, Company F had
furnished two gun teams on November 2 to the

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ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 179

Fifth Division, near Brieulles. Twice these units
had their guns installed to fire upon the Bois de
Chatillon, and twice the collapse of enemy resist-
ance resulted in canceling the operations. In the
course of these attempts Lieutenant Grasle found
an infantry company lost in the woods, reformed
them and piloted them to their proper station,
while Lieutenant Murray and three men utilized
some spare time by taking fifteen prisoners. Com-
pany A reported on November 9 to the Twenty-
sixth Division on the extreme right; two pla-
toons were moved forward and reconnaissance
began.

In the course of these first nine days of Novem-
ber, we were able to enjoy the stimulus not only
of our own progressive victory but also of dra-
matic world news from every quarter. On the 5th
Austria signed the terms of a severe armistice; the
next day our own troops were within a few miles
of Sedan. And then, in rapid succession, came tid-
ings of German delegates at Foch's headquarters,
the German naval revolt, and the abdication of
the Kaiser. Yet not for a moment did our efforts
relax. On the loth of November five of our com-
panies were represented on the battle front, and
during the last twenty-four hours of the war we
prepared fully for six operations and executed
three. The First Gas Regiment finished strong.

i8o THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

Most of Company B had moved eastward on
November lo to some wooded heights above the
Meuse opposite Pouilly. The move in itself was
exceptionally risky; for all the roads near the
river were subject to point-blank enfilade fire
from the opposing artillery, and several trucks
near our own were demolished at sight. The 177th
Brigade was planning to cross the river at Pouilly
and Inor. Avoiding a direct screen at Pouilly
(which would only have drawn fire upon our
troops), we planned one flanking screen to cut off
hostile observation and another to blanket the
village of Inor. These projects, though approved,
were never carried out. The brigade commander
decided against such preliminary preparations,
and at 6 p.m. on November 10, in silence and
under cover of darkness, the crossing was made
at Pouilly without casualties. Two hours later the
second and third platoons of Company D gave
skillful assistance in effecting a crossing by the
4th Brigade. Two targets were picked out at
points where the infantry were not to cross, one
in Mouzon, the other at La Scierie Ferme — a
post strongly fortified with machine-guns. The
plan was twofold: to neutralize the hostile fire
from these two points, and at the same time to
persuade the enemy that our smoke screens con-
cealed the real crossings. At 9.30 p.m. on the loth,

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 181

4 rounds of smoke and 17 of thermite were shot
against the first position, and 10 of smoke and 8 of
thermite against the second. The scheme worked
admirably. Fire from the targets was silenced im-
mediately, and the rest of the enemy's fire was
concentrated chiefly upon the two smoke screens.
The infantry promptly crossed the river at four
other points and attained their objectives. A Com-
pany, too, shared in the activity of this same day.
On the Twenty-sixth Division front 20 gas bombs
were shot at machine-gun positions with results
highly satisfactory. The guns were put out of ac-
tion and their crews retreated. For another gas
attack the next day, the mortars had been already
installed, when hostilities ceased. Finally, the ar-
mistice found Company C in a similar situation.
On the night of the loth an enemy battalion en-
trenched itself In shell holes opposite the front
of the nth Infantry, and heavy machine-gun and
artillery fire was opened against our troops.
Three mortars and sixty rounds of thermite were
brought up under shell-fire by trucks and mules,
and an attack was planned for 10.30 a.m. on the
nth. At 10.15 on that day about a hundred
Boches stood up from their shell holes unarmed,
with their hands in their pockets. One of their
officers advanced toward our lines and was met
by our nearest infantry commander. He an-

i82 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

nounced that the armistice had been signed and
requested that the attack be canceled. Since or-
ders to that effect were soon received from the
commanding officer of the nth, our men withheld
their fire. But they stood by at advanced posi-
tions, and did not withdraw until eleven o'clock.
That hour marked the end of our operations,
the end of the battle, and the end of the great
war.^

Of our final day of effort Colonel Atkisson
wrote in the Official Bulletin:

The Regimental Commander wishes to note particu-
larly that this Bulletin includes reports of five opera-
tions carried out within 24 hours of the time the ar-
mistice became effective. This giving full measure of
service, of being in the foremost wave of our victori-
ous Army, leaving nothing undone to the very last,
is in keeping with the spirit and determination which
has made possible the development of a new offensive
service in our Army with a real field of usefulness.

The Regimental Commander knows of the high ideal
of "Service" which has prompted the officers and men
from the very beginning.

An added word of congratulation that had
reached us earlier may be read in this letter from
Colonel Schulz:

^ During the Third Phase we suffered the following losses:
I officer severely wounded, i slightly wounded, 33 men wounded
— 6 severely, i man died of wounds, and 10 men killed. It was the
costliest ten days we had known.

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 183

Headquarters First Army, American E.F.
Office of Chief Gas Officer

November 8, 19 18
From: Chief Gas Officer.

To: Commanding Officer, ist Gas Regiment.

Subject: Operations beginning November ist.

I. In transmitting herewith advance copies of Gen-
eral Orders 31 and 32, Headquarters First Army, con-
cerning the victory won by the First American Army
since November ist, I take great pleasure in adding
that reports received from various sources in the Army
testify to the assistance given by the ist Gas Regiment
in bringing about this happy result. The knowledge of
the excellent work done by the Regiment in this and
past operations will be a source of gratification not
only to its own personnel, but to all officers and men
belonging to the Chemical Warfare Service.

John W. N. Schulz

Colonel, C.W.S.

The General Orders here mentioned will long
be remembered by those who helped to "smash
the way " :

Headquarters First Army
American Expeditionary Forces, France

^th November, 19 18
General Orders No. 31 :

On November first, after constant fighting for over
one month, the First American Army launched an
attack against the German Army which had estab-
lished itself for determined resistance. In five days it
has penetrated 25 kilometers and has driven the
enemy in retreat before it. Its brilliant success, in con-

i84 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

nection with the advance of the 4th French Army on
its left, forced the Germans to retreat on a broad front
to the west.

It has fought and marched and endured the rigors
of campaign with the most superb indifference to every-
thing except the determination to go forward and im-
print upon the enemy the marks of its courage and res-
olution.

All arms and services, those in advance who smashed
the way, those in the air who rendered aggressive and
efficient service, and those in rear who by their untir-
ing industry made possible the continued advance, are
worthy of the highest praise and the gratitude of their
admiring country.

The army Commander is proud of such an army,
thanks it for the splendid results already achieved, and
looks with confidence to the still greater successes that
lie before it.

By command of Lieutenant General Liggett:

H. A. Drum

Chief of Staff

In Regimental General Order No. 5 was pub-
lished a final tribute which we welcomed with
grateful pride:

American Expeditionary Forces
Headquarters First Gas Regiment

November, 28, 1918.
General Order:
No. 5.
I. The following contents of a letter received from
Brig. General Fries, Chief of the Chemical Warfare
Service, is published to the Regiment.

"The war is over and apparently the work of the

ARGONNE-MEUSE OPERATION 185

First Gas Regiment. If a few could be kept as Gas
troops and trained as such with the Army, I would be
willing to have you remain for a while in France ; other-
wise, I am making every effort to have the Gas troops
sent promptly to the United States.

"At this time, Idesirepersonally, and on behalf of the
Chemical Warfare Service as a whole, to express to you
and the officers and men of the First Gas Regiment
under you, our pride and profound admiration of the
work you have done. To take a new regiment and in a
few short months teach it an entirely new method of
warfare, known to few but the enemy, and so handle
that work that the Chemical Warfare Service, as well
as the regiment, became favorably known throughout
an army of nearly 2,000,000 men, is an achievement of
which any body of men may well be proud.

" Not only is the First Gas Regiment well known, but
its work has been so excellent that demands for more
Gas troops were constantly increasing in numbers and
insistence. Everywhere the work has been spoken of
as that of brave and able men, who feared no enemy
and no hardships, and who stopped only when com-
plete exhaustion overpowered them.

" Whether the Chemical Warfare Service will be con-
tinued in peace remains to be seen. That your work
will always be remembered and that it will be the guid-
ing star for such work in any future war, should, un-
fortunately, our country ever again have to enter upon
one, is absolutely certain."

2. The Regimental Commander wishes to express
his deep appreciation of the loyalty and unselfish de-
votion to duty of both officers and men, which made
possible the results which prompted this letter.
E. J. Atkisson,

Colonel, 1st Gas Regiment

CHAPTER IX

LAST DAYS

The coming of peace caused little reaction. Those
who had expected some sharp revulsion of feeling
or conduct were surprised to find that the bearing
and attitude of the men were much the same on
November 12 as they had been on November 10.
Accustomed as we were to taking great things
quietly, even the end of the war produced no ex-
citement. For long it was hard not to feel that we
were simply passing through a lull between fights;
and except for having no attacks to prepare, daily
life brought "business as usual."

The armistice made necessary two immediate
tasks — the withdrawal of all the companies to
rest billets in the rear and the preparation of Com-
panies A and B for service with the Army of Occu-
pation. One battalion of the regiment had been
assigned to this new Third Army, and the regi-
mental commander had selected, for what was
regarded as an honor, the two units that were
senior in service. On November 12 and 13, Com-
pany B marched from Nouart to Ville-sur-Cou-
sances, where on the 14th it was joined by D.
Company E was still at La Grange-aux-Bois and

LAST DAYS 187

Company A at Verdun. Companies C and F had
not yet returned from the front.

This account, however, does not include all the
companies then in our regiment. Under stress of
battle, we had hardly noticed the fact; but on
November 7 four of the nine British Special Com-
panies R.E.^ that had been sent to join our First
and Second Armies, were assigned to the First
Gas Regiment ; and to accommodate them, a re-
organization of battalions had resulted. For one
week we had four battalions — the First including
E and the British J, the Second as of old, a First
Provisional Battalion (the old Provisional), in-
cluding C and F, and a Second Provisional Bat-
talion, commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Bun-
ker, R.E., which was composed of our A and the
British P, D, and Z. This fourth battalion was
quartered in Verdun, and was about to begin
active preparations for work on our right flank.
Lieutenant- Colonel Bunker was Battalion Com-
mander when Company A executed its last attack ;
but the end of the war cut short the opportunity
for any operations by his own troops. We had
gladly welcomed the arrival of skillful helpers and
of several old friends. Colonel Bunker entered
into our plans with ready energy, and the promise

^ These were gas companies, some of them those with which
our First Battalion had worked early in the year.

i88 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

was bright for useful service in common. If the
cause had been anything less than the close of the
war, the end of our short alliance would have been
greatly to our regret. We were at least given the
opportunity to express once more our gratitude to
the British Gas Service, and to show them, we
hope, that their instruction had borne good fruit.

With the British companies relieved, our own
were once more reassigned. In preparation for
their mission. Companies A and B were assigned
on November 13 to the First Battalion, with
Major Carlock in command. The remaining com-
panies, under Major Lowenberg, became the
Second Battalion. It was planned at the same
time that all the regiment should gather as soon
as possible at Verdun, to end for once our chronic
state of dispersion. During November 14, 15, and
16, the two Battalion Headquarters and Com-
panies B, C, D, and F moved to a suburb of the
historic city where they were quartered in stone
barracks in the Faubourg Pave.

On the 1 6th the First Battalion set out for the
front, prepared for a long tour of duty in Ger-
many. Their doings there, however, will not re-
quire a chapter, for within two days they were
recalled by orders from G.H.Q., and on the 19th
we welcomed them home again. They had ad-
vanced only eleven miles to Chaumont-devant-

LAST DAYS 189

Damvillers, and had never set foot on German
soil. But counter-marching and cancellation of or-
ders were such old stories to most of the men, that
the change was taken cheerfully, and new hopes
arose at once to take the place of the old. Indeed,
the whole regiment now began to feed on hopes.

Rumors are always current among soldiers, but
thenceforward until we sailed they were thick in
the atmosphere. A day without a new infusion of
rumors was a day wasted. Though we had heard
for some time that troops would be sent home
in approximately the order of their arrival, the
majority were quietly reconciled to spending the
winter in France. But the return of A and B broke
the spell ; and other evidence began forthwith to
accumulate. Throughout these days all technical
equipment was being returned to the regimental
dump. We saw the last of our mortars and pro-
jectors, our animals and our wagons. And then,
too, all barracks bags and other baggage were
hurriedly transported from La Ville-aux-Bois.
Such facts, of course, offered soil enough to nour-
ish reports of every kind. As the weeks went on,
nothing could stunt the luxuriance of their growth.
Wildest among those who knew nothing, they
attained among the knowing a greater plausibility
but no greater certainty. The cook had said that
all the barracks bags were on their way to Brest;

igo THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

the supply sergeant had been heard arranging for
all trucks to be "salvaged"; Lieutenant Smith
had seen an officer from G.H.Q. who had seen the
very order; Lieutenant Brown's friend at Army
Headquarters had said, "You fellows will be
home by Christmas" — so the stories ran, each
one adding relish till the next arrived.

Appetizing rumors, however, were a back-
ground, not a substitute for work. Discipline and
routine were upheld without relaxation. Besides
the daily drills and "hikes," provision was made
for bathing and refitting. A new educational
schedule offered novelty, with morning and after-
noon lectures on chemistry, hygiene, civics, and
other topics. Added to the usual "fatigue duties"
and to the improvement and care of quarters, this
general plan of work was in operation during the
rest of our time overseas. Continuous also was the
granting of leaves to both officers and men — a
privilege long withheld by necessity, but now
granted to the limit allowed.

Yet even times of peace and steady routine
could not save the regiment from the fate which
kept us constantly on the move. After E Com-
pany's arrival at Verdun on November 20, all the
companies were at last together. Company C was
then assigned to the First Battalion; and for the
first time the units were symmetrically arranged,

LAST DAYS 191

with A, B, and C in the First, and D, E, and F in
the Second. C then moved to join A and B in bil-
lets in the town, and D, E, and F evacuated the
suburban barracks and moved into others in the
great Citadel.

On November 25 the Commanding Officer re-
viewed the regiment, and presented two Dis-
tinguished Service Crosses that had been awarded.
The occasion served partly to celebrate our new
outward unity, but still more to symbolize the
deeper unity that had always been ours. The
regiment passed in review across a wide field out-
side the walls of the unconquered city, and within
sight of the hills scarred by so many battles. And
the men who marched by were worthy of that
setting of noble memories, for they were true
veterans, and they had fought a good fight.

The next day the regiment was again reviewed,
this time by Colonel Schulz, the Chief Gas Officer
of the First Army. Later in the afternoon followed
a careful inspection of all quarters. On the 27th
the First Battalion moved by trucks to the old
home village of La Ville-aux-Bois, near Chau-
mont. This latest instance of further movement
prevented the regiment from uniting in celebra-
tion of Thanksgiving Day; but on that day (the
28 th), each battalion was able to feast mem-
orably. Turkeys in ample numbers had been

192 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

brought from Paris, and big dinners issued from
every company kitchen. F Company cooked
theirs in the great kitchens of the Citadel of Ver-
dun. Each battaHon, too, assembled for services
of thanksgiving, the Second Battalion gathering
in the huge half-ruined "salon" of the Bishop's
Palace at Verdun. These services were memorable
not only for their setting, but because they ex-
pressed a wealth of true gratitude on the greatest
Thanksgiving Day the world has ever known.

The two days following were occupied with
further movement. Second Battalion Headquar-
ters and Companies E and F moved by trucks
to Choignes, and Regimental Headquarters and
Company D to Chamarandes. In these villages
and in La Ville-aux-Bois — all of them close to
Chaumont — we were able to enjoy an experience
without precedent in our history: six companies
living in one area for a month. The time of the
men was fully occupied in carrying out schedules
of drill, athletics, and education, with added work
made necessary by speeding our preparation for
departure. Recreation was afforded by Y.M.C.A.
huts or tents in the villages, with evening shows
and movies, and with concerts by our own band
and orchestra.

A final regimental review took place on Decem-
ber 4, accompanied by the presentation of addi-

LAST DAYS 193

tional D.S.C.'s and Croix de Guerre. On the same
day Company Q breathed its last, after the trans-
fer of its few remaining men to fill the ranks of the
other companies. Some further shifts in personnel
brought our organization into its final shape. A
month earlier eighteen of our best enlisted men
had been commissioned as second lieutenants.
Their assignments, often to their original com-
panies, gave an opportunity for congratulations
upon a reward that had been fully deserved by
long and distinguished service. Another change
that gave high satisfaction was the assignment of
Captain Steidle to the command of the First Bat-
talion and the appointment of Major Carlock as
acting Lieutenant-Colonel. Soon afterward we
said good-bye to our two remaining British
friends — Captains McNamee and Roberts, who
returned to duty with the Special Brigade, Royal
Engineers. Their difficult task as advisers and
assistants upon our regimental and battalion
staffs had been carried out with so much tact and
professional skill and in a spirit of such genuine
and helpful comradeship that we had learned not
only to value them as gallant soldiers, but to feel
that they were true members and lasting friends.
With them and with their colleague Captain Wil-
son (who had left us earlier) we sent our hearty
wishes for good luck always. Within a short time

194 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

we said good-bye to another group. At the urgent
request of the Chief of the Chemical War Service
in the A.E.F., six officers, several non-commis-
sioned officers, and some twenty-four men, under
the command of Lieutenant Stoepker, volun-
teered to remain in France for several months in
order to act as an itinerant "exhibition team"
which should travel about to the various divisions
and give sample "shows" by way of instruction
in offensive gas warfare.

On December 9 preparations for departure be-
gan to take a more acute form. Most of our re-
maining transportation was "turned in," all rec-
ords were brought up to date, and other finishing
touches were ordered. On the 13th, the regiment
was reported "ready to leave," and every day
thereafter we expected our departure within three,
or at the most, four days. Life thenceforward was
a tantalizing series of postponements ; and twelve
days later we found ourselves celebrating Christ-
mas in the same old billets. Though not a typical
merry Yuletide, the occasion was by no means
cheerless. Christmas services were held in the
morning, and the day was later marked by big
dinners for the men, by band concerts in two of
our villages, and by the opportunity to open
Christmas packages sent from home. The officers
were the guests of the Colonel at a dance at the

LAST DAYS 195

Ch§,teau de Chamarandes, made memorable by
the presence of other and fairer guests, and by the
chaperonage of the local marquise.

Within three days of this celebration came at
last the orders to leave. On December 31 the en-
tire regiment entrained at Chaumont, and began
at 3.20 P.M. the first lap of its long journey home-
ward. Reaching Brest in the early morning on
January 3, we cheerfully detrained, and marched
out to Camp Pontanezen expecting, after three or
four days in barracks, to set out upon the high
seas. But the worst was yet to come.

This book is the story of how a fighting regi-
ment fought; and it would be in keeping neither
with its purpose nor with the spirit of the regi-
ment to waste undue time in complaints. But
Camp Pontanezen made a lasting impression
upon our men, and the account of our three
weeks there cannot be complete in a sentence.

In the course of ten months at the front, in
every variety of position and circumstance from
Ypres to the Swiss border, our men had never had
to submit to living conditions worse than those
which surrounded them during their first week
at Brest — and this, too, in a camp which had
been under construction for over a year and which
had been in constant use by most of our debark-
ing troops. Conditions there were chronic which

196 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

would not have been permitted by one of our
commanders for more than a single day, even
under shell-fire. But the story of needless and ar-
rogant mismanagement — later remedied through
influences outside the Army — is too familiar
both to us and to the public to require repetition
in detail.

Our first week (spent in tents in the deep mud)
was occupied in preparation for inspection, in
''de-lousing" and the "checking" of equipment.
During most of the day and often part of the
night, the men were at work for the camp authori^
ties, laboring at roadmending, loading of ships,
and many other tasks. On January 9 we passed
inspection with high credit, and began at once to
hope for early departure. But we had several fare-
wells to say before we left for home. We had al-
ready parted with Lieutenant Manon of the Med-
ical Detachment (who had been assigned to serv-
ice at Brest) — our cheery companion and skilled
helper for thirteen months. It was the Colonel
who was next to go. On the day of the inspection
came the news that Colonel Atkisson had received
orders relieving him of command and assigning
him to other important duty in France. It was
hard not only for him but for us that one who had
been our leader from the first day of our existence
to our departure for home, should not be able to

LAST DAYS 197

be with us to the end. There is needed no tribute
here to the achievements of Colonel Atkisson, no
reminder of what he has meant to the regiment.
That record is spread upon every page of our his-
tory.^ For a man who identified his purposes, his
hopes, and his ideals so completely with those of
his unit, the achievements of that unit afford the
truest tribute and the most lasting memorial.

On January 10 the Colonel reviewed the regi-
ment for the last time and presented eight decora-
tions newly awarded — four Distinguished Serv-
ice Crosses and four Croix de Guerre ; and at the
close he made a brief address to the men. The
next day, after a banquet at Brest in his honor,
the officers bade him farewell.

Our last two weeks at Pontanezen were spent in
barracks — quarters far superior to those we had
first encountered. Belated efforts to improve the
camp were also perceptible. The continuous rain
of the first week later gave way to occasional clear
weather. But the three chief factors of life — deep
mud, hard labor, and wild rumors — filled every
day. Before the close of our stay we lost three of
our men, who died of influenza. Sergeant-Major
Snelsire of the First Battalion and Privates Whip-
ple and Hansen of Company A. Their deaths, so

* See Appendix E for the award to Colonel Atkisson of the
Distinguished Service Medal.

198 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

long after the fighting was over and on the eve of
our return to the rewards of home, brought es-
pecially deep regret.

At length came the close of the weeks of hard-
ship and hope deferred. On January 23 we were
given a final inspection ; the regiment was compli-
mented for its efficient work and cheerful spirit;
and the same afternoon orders arrived that we
should embark the next morning on H.M.S. Cel-
tic. We sailed on January 24 at 5 p.m. On this
newly fitted ship quarters were comfortable and
the food excellent. After a calm and prosperous
passage of only eight days we reached New York
on February 2. We anchored toward dusk, in the
outer harbor, grateful to breathe again the clear
air of God's country, and to see the dark shores
around us starred with the lights of home.

The next day we landed, and were transported
to Camp Mills, Long Island. On February 5, still
haunted by the fate that always kept us moving,
we journeyed to Lakehurst, New Jersey, where
the regiment was quartered at Camp Kendrick,
the Chemical Warfare Service Training Camp.
Two days after our arrival the regiment was re-
viewed by Major-General Sibert, Director of the
Chemical Warfare Service, and by Brigadier-
General Fries, former Chief of the Chemical War-
fare Service in the A.E.F. We owed much, and,

r--*-//!

LAST DAYS 199

had the war lasted, should have owed still more,
to the energy and imagination of General Sibert's
vigorous administration. He knew us and our
needs; and knowing our record too, he spoke to
the officers and men of the fighting arm of his
service in words of gratitude that were deeply ap-
preciated, and in words of praise that had surely
been earned. The presence of Mrs. Atkisson was a
gratification to us all, and a compensation in part
for the felt absence of the Colonel.

Under the skilled guidance of the Camp Com-
mander, Captain Bernheim, formerly one of our
officers, the process of demobilization began at
once. Thanks to his efforts and to those of Major
Carlock and our other officers; thanks in equal
measure to the natural value and ability of our
men themselves, none was released without the
prospects of future work. Slowly the units dwin-
dled, until before the first of March the organiza-
tion was wholly mustered out, and the First Gas
Regiment passed into history.

CHAPTER X

THE THIRD AND FOURTH BATTALIONS

Thanks to the work of the First and Second Bat-
talions and to the leadership of our Commanding
Officer, general indifference to the value of gas
troops had yielded, by July, to an increasing real-
ization of their importance. In response to what
had become an urgent call, steps were taken at
once to organize additional gas offense units.
Officers from the active units in France were sent
to the United States to form and train the four
battalions required to raise the regiment to its
authorized strength of 5000 men; and more offi-
cers were later dispatched to begin the organiza-
tion of a second regiment of 5000. Of these units
planned only the Third and Fourth Battalions of
the First Gas Regiment attained a growth suffi-
cient to form part of our history. An account of
their brief but energetic career has been written
by Lieutenant R. M. Willis, who played a valu-
able part in their organization. His words here
follow.

Major Charles P. Wood, Regimental Adjutant, and
later commanding Company C in commendable oper-
ations, came back to the United States in August to

THIRD & FOURTH BATTALIONS 201

direct the formation of the Third and Fourth Bat-
talions. From four of the officers training camps he
personally selected a personnel of young officers ; a de-
bate in the General Staff as to where these battalions
should be organized — Fort Myer, Virginia, and a
small camp at Syracuse, New York, being considered
— ended in a decision designating Camp Sherman,
Chillicothe, Ohio, this camp being at the time in a
favorable condition to meet the needs for men and
equipment. Accordingly Major Wood and staff re-
ported at Camp Sherman and established headquar-
ters on October 6; one by one, as they were released
from the training camps, the officers to comprise the
commissioned personnel reported, and an intensive
course of lectures and drills was given to fit them for
leading gas troops.

But the activity of the War Department seemed to
end with the furnishing of officers; an anxious week
produced no authority for men. A series of rapid-fire
telegrams and letters, and assistance on the part of the
Director of Chemical Warfare Services at Washington
produced an authorization under date of October 11
from the Adjutant-General for the required quota of
enlisted men, 1584, to be supplied from the Depot
Brigade at Camp Sherman.

The first delay merely preceded a worse one; the
epidemic of Spanish influenza, prevalent over the
country, held Camp Sherman in strict quarantine; no
transfers were permitted, and so through two weeks
longer sixty officers were inactive awaiting the lifting
of the restriction.

On October 24 the first contingent of men arrived at
the provisional regimental headquarters and were
formed into six skeleton companies; for a week the
men came in small groups. There then followed the
sorting and eliminating process, and these men, with a

202 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

bare amount of training and scant equipment, fell
immediately into the spirit of necessary willingness.
Close order drill, a brief target course on the range,
nightly lectures on the nature of the work in store for
them, the required medical examinations and inocula-
tions, and much confusion and difficulty in adapting
overseas combat equipment to these men, found them
in two weeks prepared to leave Sherman for seaboard
and France.

Every consideration was extended by the camp
authorities at Camp Sherman ; all assistance was given
in supplying equipment, and in the routine formalities
of paper-work the Camp Personnel staff was very
helpful.

On November 5 the organization reported "ready,"
and requested orders to start for overseas. It is ex-
tremely significant that in the brief period of eleven
days which had elapsed since the receipt of the first
men, these six companies had accomplished the ap-
parently impossible feat of organizing, officering, and
equipping themselves for service. It is highly improba-
ble that this record has been even approached. The im-
mensity of the task is to be appreciated only when it is
known that from five to eight months were required by
divisions to prepare for service. The abnormal condi-
tion following the epidemic and the recent departure
from Camp Sherman of a division, had left a limited
choice of available men ; and no table of allowances for
equipment had been granted the organization by the
War Department. These facts created innumerable
obstacles in the way of securing supplies, which were
overcome only through the efforts of the supply officers
of the regiment and the generous cooperation of the
camp supply officers.

The day of the cessation of hostilities found the two
battalions prepared for the journey to the port of era-

H

<

X
H
»5

O

Q
<
Q

2

S

H

fc
O

t/3

Oi

w
u

o

THIRD & FOURTH BATTALIONS 203

barkation; thoroughly equipped, all arrangements
completed to leave on a few hours' notice and the regi-
mental impedimenta boxed and marked for shipment.
For a week following, the organization was in a state
of suspense as to whether it would be assigned to duty
with the A.E.F., or in accordance with the rumored
plan of immediate demobilization, would be mustered
from the service. During the period before the War
Department rendered a decision for demobilization,
there was no relaxation of the arduous schedule of
drills and maneuvers ; twice a week there was a formal
review. Even as late as the last week of its existence
the organization, loth to lose its identity, maintained
a daily schedule of drills and discipline. It is to the
credit of the officers and men comprising this unit that
in a Camp review through the town of Chillicothe
early in December, they were commended as the best
drilled and best appearing organization in the parade;
and general recognition of this same high efficiency
was accorded it at all times.

With characteristic dispatch and promptness in
action, upon receipt of orders for demobilization, the
six companies were discharged in three days, commenc-
ing December 15. In conformity with camp regula-
tions, the men were sent in order upon special trains,
and clearances were granted the officers. In the haste
of demobilization, the mass of personal equipment, the
accumulation of special equipment, a stable of mounts,
mules, and escort wagons, motor transportation and
barrack space were ignored for future deliberate dis-
posal; for the intricate accomplishment of necessary
paper-work involved in transferring the accountability
for this equipment required two months.

However small the effectiveness of this little unit
in the final story of the ending of the war, the record
achieved in so small a space of time in fitting itself for

204 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

a real part is powerfully suggestive of its possible use-
fulness had it been permitted to join in action that
now distinguished veteran, its older brother on "the
other side."

Major Wood, who was constantly missed by
the regiment in France, had surpassed even our
high expectations by the persistency and speed
with which he had shaped and equipped the two
new battalions. In his task he had been aided
effectively and enthusiastically by six of our old
officers and by a specially picked group of new
officers. These officers and all the men under
them attained a degree of unity and of regimental
spirit that would have made them valued com-
rades. Only the armistice prevented our receiving
this heavy reinforcement; and not even the ar-
mistice prevents our regarding these two bat-
talions as a genuine part of the regiment, their
battle laurels unwon, but their brief record not-
able and full of promise.

CHAPTER XI

CONCLUSION

The story of the First Gas Regiment, from begin-
ning to end, covers a period of only eighteen
months. Before August, 1917, we had no history,
and to-day the unit no longer exists. But "one
crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age
without a name." In that "crowded hour" the
regiment was created, trained, and transported to
France ; as the only offensive gas unit in the Amer-
ican Army it operated on nearly every section of
the Western Front from Ypres to the Swiss bor-
der; from July to November it fought in the van
of the three great American offensives ; and before
March, 191 9, it was reassembled, transported
home, and mustered out.

The First Gas Regiment was unique for its per-
sonnel, interesting for its problems, and memo-
able for its performance.

Our personnel was typically American — repre-
sentative in make-up, infinitely varied in scientific
and mechanical skill, characteristic in spirit. Of
the men nearly ninety per cent were volunteers.
They came from every state in the Union, and
from every walk of life. There was hardly a grade

2o6 THE FIRST GAS REGIMENT

of mental ability, from professors to illiterates,
hardly a trade of practical or scientific value, that
was not represented. There were so few without
schooling and so many with a college training that
it is doubtful if any other regiment can claim for
its members a higher standard of education or a
greater variety of mechanical ability. But not
only in this diversity of origin and of skill was the
regiment thoroughly American. In spirit, too, the
group was ideally true to type. In initiative, in en-
ergy, in humor, in united zeal for service, officers
and men stood for the best that America breeds.
The problems confronting the regiment from
the day of its organization were many and serious.
We were pioneers in a new field, called upon not
simply to fight according to orders, but to blaze
our own path, to win a place for ourselves — to
prove our usefulness to our own side by proving
dangerous to the enemy. Gas warfare upon sta-
tionary fronts was a science well developed by the
British Army, much neglected by the French,
wholly unknown to the American. And gas tech-
nique in open warfare was entirely untried. We had,
therefore, first to learn and to practice, and then
to teach and to popularize a new form of warfare.
At the same time we had to struggle with a short-
age of material and continually to adapt our tactics
to the changing needs of a progressive campaign.

CONCLUSION 207

That our personnel was equal to our problems
is clear from the record of our performance. That
record is written in full throughout our story. Be-
ginning as a unit wholly unknown, we won our
way steadily to recognition, until we had ceased
to be viewed as an interesting but dangerous lux-
ury, and had come to be acknowledged an indis-
pensable auxiliary. A purely self-made fighting
organization, thrown upon our own resources, we
won our small battles against ignorance and in-
difference, and we helped measurably to win the
great battle against the enemy. Working during
June with only two companies, during July and
August with only four, and for the rest of the war
with only six, we carried out nine operations on
the stabilized fronts, ten in the Chateau-Thierry
offensive, thirty in the St. Mihiel, and eighty-four
in the Argonne-Meuse — a total of one hundred
and thirty-three actions.

The imagination and the steadfast vigor of our
leaders, the resourceful energy of both our officers
and our non-commissioned officers, and the initi-
ative and unflagging spirit of our men have writ-
ten upon the record of the American Army a page
of high achievement.

THE END

APPENDICES

APPENDIX Ai

OFFICERS KILLED IN ACTION:

NAME AND RANK COMPANY DATE PLACE CAUSE

2nd Lt. Hanlon, Joseph T. B 7-30-18 Villers-sur-Fere shell

2nd Lt. Rideout, Percy E. D 10- 9-18 Verdun sector shell

OFFICERS DIED OF WOUNDS:

NAME AND RANK

1st Lt. Cordes, Paul H.

1st Lt. Williams, Hubert C.

1st Lt. Fleming, John V.

1st Lt. Goss, Paul L.

1st Lt. Owen, Nathaniel J.

2nd Lt. Everett, Eugene W.

COMPANY DATE PLACE CAUSE

C 9-12-18 Bois le Prgtre shell

D 9-13-18 St. Mihiel sector shell

E 10-15-18 Verdun sector shell

Med. 10- 6-18 Near Charpentry gas

C 10- 9-18 Near Charpentry gas

C 10- 9-18 Near Charpentry gas

MEN KILLED IN ACTION:

NAME AND RANK COMPANY DATE PLACE CAUSE

Pvt. Neal, William K. B 3-21-18 Cite St. Pierre shell

Pvt. icl. Gray, George C. B 3-27-18 Cite St. Pierre shell

Corp. Dodd, Joseph C. A 4- 9-18 Sailly LaBourse shell

Pvt. icl. Hass, Walter H. A 4- 9-18 Sailly LaBourse shell

Pvt. Guilefuss, Harry H. B 7-30-18 Villers-sur-Fere shell

Pvt. Merkel, John B 7-30-18 Villers-sur-Fere shell

Pvt. Panuska, George T. B 7-30-18 Villers-sur-Fere shell

Pvt. Martin, Herbert B. D 8- 5-18 St. Thibaut shell

Pvt. Mitchell, Roy J. D 9-26-18 Verdun sector M.G.

Pvt. Gans, Joseph O. D 9-26-18 Avocourt M.G.

Pvt. icl. Shields, Bert W. D 9-26-18 Avocourt M.G.

^ The author assumes no responsibility for the complete accuracy of
any lists in these appendices. None was compiled by him. They were
furnished by Regimental, Battalion, and Company Headquarters, and
he can only apologize in their name for errors or omissions.

212

APPENDIX

NAME AND RANK

COMPANY DATE

PLACE (

CAUSE

Pvt.

icl. McAlpine, E. J.

D

9-^6-18

Avocourt

shell

Corp.

Buxton, Vernon C.

A

10-15-18

Verdun sector

shell

Pvt.

icl. Anderson, E. H.

F

10-31-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

Geagon, John J.

Med.

10-31-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

icl. Hansen, Hans

F

10-31-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

Mely, Arthur C.

F

10-31-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

Western, George H.

F

10-31-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

icl. Bleight, John C.

B

II- 1-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

Mayne, Robert N.

E

II- 1-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

icl. Partridge, George B

II- 1-18

Bantheville

shell

Pvt.

Slamon, James T.

B

II- 1-18

Bantheville

shell

Sgt.

Knouff , Arthur R.

A

11-10-18

Verdun sector

sheU

MEN DIED OF WOUNDS:

NAME AND RANK

COMPANY DATE

PLACE CAUSE

Sgt.

Patton, Gerald S.

A

8-14-18

Sailly LaBourse

shell

Pvt.

Whiteley, Roland

D

8- 6-18

St. Thibaut

shell

Pvt.

Prescott, Stuart H.

B

9-25-18

Fismes

shell

Wag.

Powell, Ellsworth D.

B

10- 4-18

Verdun sector

shell

Pvt.

icl. Digney, Joseph

A

10- 8-18

Verdun sector

shell

Pvt.

Mills, E. R.

A

10- 8-18

Verdun sector

shell

Mast

. Engr. Allen, F. L.

C

10-10-18

Near Charpentry

gas

Pvt.

Lane, R. J. G.

D

II- 1-18

Verdun sector

sheU

APPENDIX B

TABLE OF DATES

1917
August 15
August 30

Authorization of Regiment by G.O. 108.
Captain Atkisson assigned to the regi-
ment.
First Battalion organized.
December 4-5 Companies C and D organized.
1918

First Battalion lands at Brest. Company

E organized.
Platoons of A and B begin movement to

British front.
Companies C and D land at Brest.
Company F organized.
First independent action. Toul Sector.
Second Battalion Headquarters and

Companies E and F land at Brest.
Beginning of Chateau-Thierry offensive.
July ^-September 3. Operations on the stabilized fronts.
September 12 Beginning of St. Mihiel operation.
September 26-November 1 1 The Argonne-Meuse oper-
ation.
Signing of the Armistice.

October 16

January 18

March i

March 10
April 5
June 18
July 12

July 18

November 11

1919
February 2
March i

Arrival of Regiment at New York.
Regiment mustered out.

APPENDIX C

SAMPLE "OPERATION ORDER"

HEADQUARTERS
2ND BATTALION, ist GAS REGIMENT
SECRET. AMERICAN E.F. COPY NO. i.

September ist, 1918.
Operation Order No. 41.
Map reference, VIGNEULIES "A," 1-20,000.

1. The following targets will be engaged by pro-
jectors at a time to be specified later ("D" Day —
"H"Hour).

PROJECTORS.

EMPLACEMENT NUMBER OF
TARGET. SITE. PROJECTORS. AMMUNITION.

42.90-52-50

43.29-52-72 42.11-53-52 340 C. G.

43-34-52.64 to .340 and

43.01-52.41 42.22-53.53 N. C.

2. Our lines at emplacement sites held by 26th Divi-
sion, 5th U.S. Army Corps.

3. Projectors will be installed by Company D, 1st
Gas Regiment, assisted by Platoons from Companies
E and F.

4. Watches will be synchronized with 5th U.S.
Army Corps time.

5. Discharge of projectors will be at " H " minus four
hours, Batteries will be inspected and unfired guns will
be discharged twenty minutes after original discharge.

APPENDIX 215

6. Projector attack will not take place unless the
wind is from 27 through WEST and NORTH to 03,
and from two to fifteen miles per hour.

7. A decision in regard to this discharge will be
made by the Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, ist
Gas Regiment, at "H" minus eight hours and com-
municated to Division and Corps Headquarters by
wire and written confirmation.

Code.

OPERATION WILL TAKE PLACE — MAINE
OPERATION CANCELLED —CALIFORNIA

8. If weather conditions are unfavorable at "H"
minus six hours the operation will be cancelled by
Commanding Officer, 2nd Battalion, 1st Gas Regi-
ment. Messages being sent in Code of paragraph #7 to
Division and Corps Headquarters. The officer in charge
of emplacements can cancel at Zero if local conditions
are outside of limits specified in paragraph #6.

9. The Commanding Officer, Company D, ist Gas
Regiment, will be at P.C. HARENCO, 41.04-54.16,
from *'H" minus six hours until **H" minus four
hours. He will maintain communication with his em-
placement officers by runners.

10. Messages from the position officers to the Com-
pany Commander will be sent as follows :

(o) Wind Messages — each half-hour from "H"
minus six hours to "H" minus four and one-
half hours.
(6) All ready — when all preparations are com-
pleted,
(c) Number of drums discharged after final dis-
charge.

2i6 APPENDIX

11. The area enclosed by 43.10-53.09; 42.00-
53.54; 41.90-53.46 and 42.27-52.92 should be
cleared of all troops as far as the tactical situation will
permit from "H" minus four hours and ten minutes
until **H" minus three hours and thirty-five minutes.
Any troops left in the above area and in areas enclosed
by 43 . 46-33-45 ; 42 .00-53 ■ 54 and 43 . 10-53 . 09 and
42.27-52.92; 41.90-53.46 and 42.04-52.92 must
wear box respirators from ''H" minus four hours and
five minutes until the "All Clear" signal is given by
their Gas Officer.

12. It will not be necessary to camouflage this posi-
tion after the discharge. All personnel, with the excep-
tion of those needed for the later attacks, will retire tg
the advanced billets.

13. Please acknowledge.

J. B. Carlock,
Major, 1st Gas Regiment.

Copies:

1. CO. 5th U.S. Corps

2. CO. 26th U.S. Division

3. CO. 1st Gas Regiment

4. CO. Company D

5. War Diary

SAMPLE ''OPERATION REPORT "

OPERATION REPORT
TO

CO. First Gas Regiment ^^"^^ ^^■

August 5, 1918
Reference Maps.
VIOLU (Nord) 1/5000.
I. Headquarters — Company A, 1st Gas Regiment,
A.E.F.

APPENDIX 217

2. Engineer Companies Operating, Company A, ist
Gas Regiment.

3. Corps or division to which attached, 21 D.I. 33 C. A.
(French).

4. Purpose of operation, harassing enemy in new posi-
tions. Prevention of further work in organizing
new trenches as jumping-off place for seizing
TETE du VIOLU.

5. Wind limits — N. thru W. to S.

6. Map reference of emplacements — (S) 54 -5-59 -8,
(S-i) 54-7-58-7, (S-2) 54-7-58.6.

7. Map reference of targets — 56.3-60.0, 56.2-59.0,
56.06-58.65.

8. Enemy Regiments affected — 80 LANDWEHR,
others not identified.

9. Zero Hour — 23.00 Aug. 5-6, 1918.

10. Wind direction and velocity and weather conditions
— West, 7 m.p.h. Misty overcast sky. Started to
rain at i.oo a.m. Aug. 6.

11. Number installed Cylinders. Projectors. Stokes

(and type of Mortars,

gas used)

C.G. 495 300

12. Number fired — 495 294
Percentage fired — 100 98

13. Reason for discrepancies (if any) 3 bombs stuck in
guns and could not be removed, early in the shoot,
putting them out of action. Enemy action made it
inadvisable to hold a gun in position while biscuit,
container and ammunition were being changed.

14. Enemy action before, during and after attack — No
rockets. Green and red flares at o plus 3 min.
Heavy artillery retaliation at o plus 7 min. on posi-

2i8 APPENDIX

tions (S-i) — (S-2), on trench system, lines of
communication, billets and artillery. Enemy
apparently very much annoyed.

15. Casualties. {Name of officers; regimental numbers oj
other ranks.) {Since reconnaissance.)

#915384 slightly gassed in clearing a trench of a
short T.M.E.

16. Time taken and men employed on operation — 7
days and nights — 90 men for eight days. 46 more
for four days.

17. Infantry assistance obtained for operations — 4 ox
teams for 5 nights. Trench mortar and artillery
fire o plus 5 min. to o plus 10 min.

18. Remarks — Information from photographs and
deserter showed Germans creeping in to capture
TETE du VIOLU. Intense fire for destruction
two days previous by artillery and trench mortars.
3000 shells, 2000 T.M.E. Quiet for two days to
encourage enemy to return to work. Guns will be
left in on position S for future use if need develops.

W. F. Pond,

Captain, Company A,
1st Gas Regiment.

Copies to:

CO. 1st Gas Regiment

L.O. Prov. Btn. ist Gas Regiment

2 1st D.I. (French)

33rd C.A. (French)

Secret File

APPENDIX D

DESCRIPTION OF WEAPONS

A brief description of the methods and weapons
used by Special Gas Troops is given below:

1. Projectors. These are steel tubes of approxi-
mately eight inches in diameter and closed at one end.
Three lengths were in use, the 2^6", 2' 9", and ^' o'\
weighing respectively about 65, 105, and 150 lbs. The
guns were usually installed in batteries of twenty, by
digging a trench 32 feet long, perpendicular to the di-
rection of fire, with the side of the trench towards the
line of fire sloped at an angle of 45°. Steel base-plates
weighing 28 lbs. were usually used under each gun.
After placing in the trench and covering with earth,
the muzzle of the projector extends only slightly above
the ground, making camouflage fairly easy.

The projectiles used are cylindrical drums weighing
about 65 lbs. and holding about 30 lbs. of gas or high
explosive. After insertion of the propellent charge and
drum, the twenty guns are wired in series and are dis-
charged at "Zero" electrically by an exploder.

Any number of similar batteries may be set up for
use in an attack. After firing, the guns cannot be used
again without resetting. The extreme range is about
1850 yards. The guns are usually installed at night,
sufficiently behind the front line to avoid direct
observation.

2. Stokes Mortars. The Stokes Trench Mortar,
as used by Gas Troops, is 4" in diameter and 4' long,

220 APPENDIX

and rests on a steel base-plate and is supported by a
stand consisting of two adjustable legs. The barrel
weighs 90 lbs.; the stand 30 lbs,; the steel base-plate
60 lbs. ; and if a wooden base-plate is attached to the
steel base-plate, this will increase the weight of the
base-plate to at least 70 lbs. The direction of fire is
determined by the eye or by a compass. The range is
adjusted by altering the propellent charge and the
angle of elevation of the gun, which may vary be-
tween 45° and 75°.

The projectile is a cylindrical drum weighing about
25 lbs. and holding about 7 lbs. of gas or its equivalent
in high explosive, phosphorus (for producing smoke),
or thermite (a mixture which produces a shower of
molten iron on the explosion of the shell). The propel-
lent charge is attached to the bomb. The gun is fired
by dropping the bomb into the gun. On descending, the
cap on the bomb strikes an anvil at the bottom of the
gun. It is quite possible to fire 10 rounds per minute at
night or 20 rounds per minute during the day.

The extreme range is 11 60 yards. On account of the
very short range it is necessary to install the mortars
very far forward.

The weapons described can produce a far more con-
centrated cloud of gas than it is possible to produce
with artillery. Hence the Special Gas Troops have a
field which it is impossible for the artillery to fill. The
artillery, of course, have a tremendous advantage in
range.

APPENDIX E

AWARDS, CITATIONS, AND
RECOMMENDATIONS

1. One officer was awarded the Distinguished
Service Medal, viz.:

Colonel Earl J. Atkisson.

For Exceptional, Meritorious, and Distinguished
Service.

He organized and trained the First Gas Regiment in
a type of warfare new to the American Army, and di-
rected the operations of that Regiment with marked
distinction during the St. Mihiel and Argonne-Meuse
offenses of the First American Army.

2. Two officers and 13 enlisted men were awarded
the Distinguished Service Cross, viz. :

Captain J. T. McNamee, M.C, R.F.A.
Attached to First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism throughout the ad-
vance across the Rivers Ourcq and Vesle, northeast
of Chiteau-Thierry, France, 30 July to 6 August,
1918.

"Volunteering, he led a detachment of Engineers up
to the front line on July 30 for the purpose of assisting
the advance of the infantry with thermite and smoke
bombs. That night he led his men through a heavy
enemy barrage, exhibiting courage and leadership.
For three days and nights he remained with his men

222 APPENDIX

in the extreme front line in the Bois Colas, greatly aid-
ing in repulsing enemy counter-attacks by laying
down barrages of thermite and phosphorous, cleaning
out machine-gun nests in the same manner, and ena-
bling our infantry to attack behind smokescreens. On
August 5 he took another detachment into St. Thi-
baut and brought ammunition into the village before
it was occupied by our infantry and while the enemy
patrols were still there. The advance of the infantry
across the two rivers, the Ourcq and the Vesle, was
greatly facilitated, and the lives of many of them
were saved by the smoke screens which Captain
McNamee so successfully prepared. Throughout this
entire advance across these two rivers he conducted
himself with extraordinary heroism, setting an ex-
ample to the men of the regiment to which he was at-
tached, constantly exposing himself to danger in mak-
ing reconnaissances and at the same time shielding his
men."

First Lieutenant Percy A. Rideout {deceased).
First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action at Cierges,
France, 5 October, 191 8.

Lieutenant Rideout made an extended reconnais-
sance in advance of the outposts, fearlessly exposing
himself to enemy machine-gun fire and being several
times knocked down by exploding shells. The informa-
tion he secured was valuable to the infantry, giving
them knowledge of exact location of machine-gun
nests. During the action this officer directed the laying
of the smoke barrage from an exposed position, remain-
ing at his station throughout the operation in spite of
severe shell and machine-gun fire, and continuing to

APPENDIX 223

display the highest courage until he was killed by

shell-fire.

Corporal Arthur W. Jones.

Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Cambrin,
France, 8 April, 1918.

While returning from the front lines on the morning
of 8 April, 19 1 8, his platoon was subjected to a heavy
shell-fire, several of the men being killed or wounded,
the balance taking shelter near by. Corporal Jones per-
sisted in leaving this shelter and searching for wounded,
several of whom he brought back in the midst of the
barrage. He carried on the work in an heroic manner,
for the benefit of his comrades and with disregard for
his own personal safety.
Sergeant R. C. Brantley.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Malan-
court Woods, France, 26 September, 1918.

After his detachment had been ordered to the rear,
Sergeant Brantley remained to administer first aid to
a wounded comrade, bringing him to safety, through
withering machine-gun fire.
Sergeant ist Class George W. Neal.
Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Bethin-
court, France, 26 September, 1918.

Voluntarily leaving shelter, Sergeant Neal and an-
other soldier made their way, through a terrific enemy
barrage of artillery and machine-gun fire, to the aid of
wounded comrades, carrying them to first-aid stations
and administering treatment.

224 APPENDIX

Corporal Orin E. Nay.
Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Bethin-
court, France, 26 September, 1918.

Voluntarily leaving shelter, Corporal Nay and an-
other soldier made their way, through a terrific enemy
barrage of artillery and machine-gun fire, to the aid of
wounded comrades, carrying them to first-aid stations
and administering treatment.
Corporal Hursey A. Dakin.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action in the Bois de
Jure, near Gercourt, France, 26 September, 1918.

Corporal Dakin volunteered with another soldier to
attack a machine-gun nest which was holding up the
advance. They advanced against very heavy machine-
gun fire and captured the position, killing two Ger-
mans and routing the remainder of the gun-crew.
Private Guy A. Nelson.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action in the Bois de
Jure, near Gercourt, France, 26 September, 191 8.

Private Nelson volunteered with another soldier to
attack a machine-gun nest which was holding up the
advance. They advanced against very heavy machine-
gun fire and captured the position, killing two Ger-
mans and routing the remainder of the gun-crew.
Private Herman O. Higgs.
Medical Detachment, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Montfau-
con, France, 26 September, 1918.

Private Higgs worked continuously and heroically
under withering fire from machine-guns, upon several

APPENDIX 225

occasions voluntarily going out ahead of the first wave
to administer first aid to wounded soldiers. His untir-
ing efforts and personal bravery saved the lives of
many wounded soldiers and were a source of inspira-
tion to the combat troops.
Sergeant ist Class Henry C. Molter.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Mont-
faucon, France, 28 September, 1918.

Sergeant Molter volunteered and led a detachment
to recover ammunition from a dump, which was under
fire, and liable to explosion at any minute. Working
under a heavy gas attack, he succeeded in removing
the dump to a place of safety.
Sergeant Harry Melvin Woods.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Mont-
faucon, France, 29 September, 1918.

While his position was under heavy and continuous
bombardment of both gas and high explosive shells,
Sergeant Woods voluntarily left his dugout and put
gas masks on nine wounded soldiers, giving his own
mask to one of them, and thus saving their lives. After
being severely gassed by the explosion of a shell, one
piece of which struck him, he continued to administer
aid to the other wounded, and quit only when his eyes
were swollen shut and he was completely exhausted.
Corporal John P. Jordan.
Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Nantillois,
France, 5 October, 1918.

After other means of communication had failed, Cor-
poral Jordan voluntarily carried messages from the

226 APPENDIX

regimental post of command to advanced positions
through several enemy barrages of gas and high explo-
sive shells. He continued on duty even after being
wounded, until he was exhausted.
Corporal John C. Graves.
Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Nantillois,
France, 5 October, 1918.

After other means of communication had failed,
Corporal Graves voluntarily carried messages from the
regimental post of command to advanced positions
through several enemy barrages of gas and high ex-
plosive shells. He continued on duty even after being
wounded, until he was exhausted.
Private C. P. M. Nelson.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near the Bois
de BrieuUes, France, 9 October, 1918.

Displaying remarkable perseverance and daring,
Private Nelson, a runner, made his way, three hundred
yards through a heavy barrage with a message for the
commander of a Stokes mortar platoon. Later he vol-
unteered to lead four wounded men back through the
barrage to an aid station. On the way he met three
other wounded soldiers, one of whom had been severely
gassed and was unable to walk. Private Nelson carried
this man to the dressing-station, knowing that his
clothes were saturated with mustard gas.
Private Andrew A. Benson.
Medical Detachment, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Banthe-
ville, France, i November, 1918.

Severely wounded by shell-fire, Private Benson con-

APPENDIX 227

tinued to give aid to the wounded until struck the
second time. After receiving the second wound he re-
mained on duty giving directions for the care of other
wounded.

3. Thirteen officers and 32 enlisted men were
awarded the Croix de Guerre, viz. :
Major George L. Watson.
First Battalion, 30th Engineers.

A brave and energetic officer, commanding with the
greatest skill, who knows how to win the confidence of
his subordinates. He particularly distinguished him-
self in a special operation. Owing to the measures
taken by him, the operation was executed with success.
Captain John B. Carlock.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An energetic and devoted officer, who gave proof
of true military qualities in the execution of a special
operation with which he was charged, and to the suc-
cess of which he contributed by his personal example.
First Lieutenant Ben Ferris.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An officer of great valor, who gave proof of true
qualities of leadership and of bravery throughout a
special operation executed by his company.
First Lieutenant Albert W. Paine.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent officer, whose valuable cooperation con-
tributed to the success of a special operation skillfully
conducted.

First Lieutenant Thomas H. Beddall.
Company B, 30th Engineers,

An officer of great valor who gave proof of true

228 APPENDIX

qualities of leadership and of bravery throughout a
special operation executed by his company.
First Lieutenant Jerome P. Webster.
Medical Corps, 30th Engineers.

A devoted and courageous doctor. In the midst of a
violent bombardment he did not hesitate to come to
the rescue of French soldiers who had been gassed.
Second Lieutenant Horace E. Hall.
First Battalion, 30th Engineers.

He took part in the active preparation and execu-
tion of a special operation, the success of which is due
to his initiative and his intelligent collaboration.
Second Lieutenant Joseph T. Hanlon.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent officer, whose valuable cooperation con-
tributed to the success of a special operation skillfully
conducted.

Lieutenant-Colonel Robert W. Crawford.
30th Engineers.

An officer of superior and very brave character. He
particularly distinguished himself in the art of special
operations, and conveyed to all subordinates an ex-
ample of bravery in the face of adverse artillery action.
Captain Charles P. Wood.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

Has shown qualities of perception and courage in the
preparation and execution of special operations, the
success of which can, in a large measure, be attributed
to him.

Lieutenant Paul H. Cordes.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

A very cool and courageous officer. He proved to be
wonderfully skillful in special operations. Due to his

APPENDIX 229

presence of mind, a change of attack was effected
which dealt the enemy a far more serious blow than
would otherwise have been the case.
Lieutenant Raymond Weakland.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

Has shown himself to possess exceptional qualifi-
cation in undertaking special operations. He was
able by his courage and his ardor to successfully
lead his men, who were under shell-fire for the first
time, thereby assuring a complete success to the op-
eration.
Lieutenant Duncan McA. Johnston.

In command of a group of projectors he conducted
several attacks under violent artillery and machine-
gun fire, in connection with the commander of the
assaulting troops, during the actions of September 12,
1918. He contributed in great measure to the success
of the operation.
Sergeant Flay E. Blair.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent non-commissioned officer who gave
proof of courage and devotion throughout a special
operation executed by his company.
Sergeant Fred L. Allen.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent non-commissioned officer who gave
proof of courage and fidelity in assisting his company
in a special operation.
Sergeant Charles J. Connors.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent non-commissioned officer who gave
proof of courage and fidelity in assisting his company
in a special operation.

230 APPENDIX

Sergeant F. W. Smith.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and devotion in completing,
in the midst of a gas cloud, the work preparatory to a
special operation executed by his company.
Corporal Frank L. Faktor.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent corporal, gallant and courageous. He
set a fine example of contempt for danger throughout
a special operation executed by his company.
Corporal Walter L. Stevens.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent corporal, gallant and courageous. He
set a fine example of contempt for danger throughout
a special operation executed by his company.
Corporal John L. MacGuire.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent corporal, gallant and courageous. He
set a fine example of contempt for danger throughout a
special operation executed by his company.
Corporal P. C. Smith.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and devotion in completing,
in the midst of a gas cloud, the work preparatory to a
special operation executed by his company.
Corporal Simon Kunst.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and devotion in complet-
ing, in the midst of a gas cloud, the work preparatory
to a special operation executed by his company.
Wagoner Johnson Justice.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

Charged with the transportation of material neces-

APPENDIX 231

sary for the execution of a special operation, he bravely-
carried out his mission under violent bombardment.
Private ist Class Paul W. Soderquist.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

A gallant and courageous motorcycle rider. He carried
out his duties under the most violent bombardments.
Private ist Class Leonard Regan.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

A brave soldier, intelligent and devoted. He always
gave proof of spirit and of good humor in the most
difficult circumstances.
Private ist Class William F. Evans.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An example of courage and of devotion, he always
carried out perfectly the missions entrusted to him,
often under violent bombardment.
Private ist Class Ward W. Young.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

An excellent soldier. He always carried out his duty
cheerfully even in the most trying circumstances.
Private ist Class Eldon E. Welton.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and of devotion in com-
pleting, in the midst of a gas cloud, the work prepara-
tory to a special operation executed by his company.
Private ist Class W. F. Quinn.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and of devotion in com-
pleting, in the midst of a gas cloud, the work prepara-
tory to a special operation executed by his company.
Private ist Class T. D. Mbssler.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and of devotion in com-

232 APPENDIX

pleting, in the midst of a gas cloud, the work pre-
paratory to a special operation executed by his com-
pany.

Private ist Class John W. Estabrooks.
Company B, 30th Engineers.

He gave proof of courage and devotion in complet-
ing, in the midst of a gas cloud, the work preparatory
to a special operation executed by his company.
Sergeant John T. Redmon.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

Has proved by his great intelligence, exceptional
initiative, and interpretation of orders to be able to co-
operate effectively toward the success of a difficult
operation.

Sergeant Byron T. Bartlett.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

Has proved by his great intelligence, exceptional
initiative, and interpretation of orders to be able to co-
operate effectively toward the success of a difficult
operation.

Sergeant Walter L. Jones.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

Has proved by his great intelligence, exceptional
initiative, and interpretation of orders to be able to co-
operate effectively toward the success of a difficult
operation.

Sergeant Richard C. Phillips.
Company C, 30th Engineers,

By his courage, his initiative, and his coolness, he
showed that he was able to undertake a very delicate
mission which was entrusted to him. He succeeded in
spite of a violent barrage in bringing back all of his
men to our line.

APPENDIX 233

Corporal George F. Keddie.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

He proved himself, in the course of special opera-
tions, to have been very courageous and cool. He
stayed with his gun, without thinking of the danger to
which he was exposed; thereby rendering the maxi-
mum of service.
Corporal Clive E. Bassett.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

He proved himself very courageous and cool under
fire. By his presence of mind he saved his comrades
from certain death.
Private Arthur F. Oilman.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

A dispatch rider, in charge of transmission of orders
over a route rendered very dangerous because of hav-
ing been under very great shell-fire, he acquitted him-
self of his mission with a great deal of bravery.
Private M. L. T. Wardlow.
Company C, 30th Engineers.

He proved himself, in the course of special opera-
tions, to have been very courageous and cool. He
stayed with his gun, without thinking of the danger to
which he was exposed; thereby rendering the maxi-
mum of service.

Master Engineer Clyde W. Ahrens.
Second Battalion H.Q. First Gas Regiment.

(Citation unobtainable. But see Chapter VHI, page
62.)

Acting First Sergeant Victor C. Lomuller.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

On September 12, 191 8, taking part with a detail
charged with the use of a group of projectors, he car-

234 APPENDIX

ried out his mission with great bravery, in spite of a
violent bombardment.
Sergeant Charles M. Spiers.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

On September 12, 1918, taking part with a detail
charged with the use of a group of projectors, he carried
out his mission with great bravery, in spite of a violent
bombardment.

Corporal Charles S. Hyatt.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

On September 12, 191 8, taking part with a detail
charged with the use of a group of projectors, he car-
ried out his mission with great bravery, in spite of a
violent bombardment.
Corporal Ray S. Ferguson.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

(Citation unobtainable. But see Chapter VIII, page
60.)

Private ist Class Edwin S. Stauffer.
Company D, First Gas Regiment.

(Citation unobtainable. But see Chapter VIII, page
60.)

In addition to the above awards actually made, the
following officers and men were recommended for deco-
rations, with these citations:
I. For the Distinguished Service Cross:
Sergeant ist Class George W. Neal.
Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near T6te du
Violu, Vosges, France, 5 August, 191 8.

On the night of August 5-6, Sergeant ist Class Neal
accompanied Private Fred J. McCray and Horseshoer

APPENDIX 235

Charles E. Arthur of his own free will, while under
heavy shell-fire, and assisted in the discharge of a bat-
tery of gas projector bombs which had failed to be dis-
charged at the first attempt.

HORSESHOER ChARLES E. ArTHUR.

Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Tete du
Violu, Vosges, France, 5 August, 1918.

Horseshoer Arthur voluntarily accompanied Pri-
vate Fred J. McCray and Sergeant ist Class George
W. Neal of his own free will while under extremely
heavy shell-fire, and assisted in the successful dis-
charge of a battery of 20 gas projector bombs which
had failed to be discharged at the first attempt.
Private Fred J. McCray.
Company A, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near T6te du
Violu, Vosges, France, 5 August, 1918.

Private McCray, inspecting his battery after a gas
projector operation, found that his battery had fired,
but that one near by had not. On returning to report
this to Second Lieutenant S. A. Greenstone, a shot
from a Stokes mortar exploded near him and he was
severely gassed. Nevertheless he voluntarily returned
to the position and, with the help of Sergeant ist Class
George W. Neal and Horseshoer Charles E. Arthur,
successfully discharged the battery. The German re-
taliation was very heavy, and shells were bursting all
around the position.
Sergeant Glen O. McEwen.
l6ist Infantry, Machine Gun Company.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Moulin de
Gu^noville, France, 26 September, 1918. ,

236 APPENDIX

While attached to Company F, First Gas Regi-
ment, Sergeant McEwen, at Moulin de Guenoville
(18.8-79.3 Verdun-A) on September 26, 1918, after
observing two men of the 320th Infantry shot down on
an exposed hillside by hostile machine-guns from the
Bois d'en Del&, obtained permission from the platoon
commander, and, in company with three men of Com-
pany F, advanced over nearly two hundred yards of
hillside exposed to heavy machine-gun fire and carried
the wounded men safely to the protection of near-by
trenches.

Corporal Bryan Lempman.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Moulin de
Guenoville, France, 26 September, 19 18.

Corporal Lempman, in company with three com-
rades, at Moulin de Guenoville (18.8-79.3 Verdun-
A) on September 26, 191 8, risked his life to rescue two
men of the 320th Infantry, shot down on an exposed
hillside by hostile machine-guns from the Bois d'en
Del&. Obtaining permission from the platoon com-
mander, they advanced over nearly two hundred yards
of hillside exposed to machine-gun fire and carried the
wounded men to the protection of near-by trenches.
Private ist Class Ernest E. Anderson.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Moulin de
Guenoville, France, 26 September, 1918.

Private Anderson, in company with three com-
rades, at Moulin de Guenoville, (18.8-79.3 Verdun-
A) on September 26, 1918, risked his life to rescue two
men of the 320th Infantry, shot down on an exposed
hillside by hostile machine-guns from the Bois d'en

APPENDIX 237

Delt. Obtaining permission from the platoon com-
mander, they advanced over nearly two hundred yards
of hillside exposed to machine-gun fire and carried the
wounded men to the protection of near-by trenches.
Since killed in action, November i, 1918.
Private George Drechsel.
Company F, First Gas Regiment.

For extraordinary heroism in action near Moulin de
Gu6noville, France, 26 September, 1918.

Private Drechsel, in company with three comrades,
at Moulin de Gu^noville (18.8-79.3 Verdun-A) on
September 26, 19 18, risked his life to rescue two men
of the 320th Infantry, shot down on an exposed hill-
side by hostile machine-guns from the Bois d'en Delt.
Obtaining permission from the platoon commander,
they advanced over nearly two hundred yards of hill-
side exposed to machine-gun fire and carried the
wounded men to the protection of near-by trenches.

2. For the Distinguished Service Medal:
Major Charles P. Wood.
First Gas Regiment.

Major Charles P. Wood has devoted himself un-
ceasingly to the welfare of this regiment. During the
organization of the first unit in the United States he
made every effort to master the technical details and
assist in obtaining the necessary equipment with
which to function.

He manufactured and fired the first projector in the
United States.

A man of the rarest tact and judgment and the high-
est ideals of service, he rendered invaluable assistance
in developing an organization, trained in an entirely new

238 APPENDIX

phase of warfare, and which has proven itself in action.

He took a company into its first action, and by his
own fearless example and efficient handling, carried
out a large projector operation.

When it became necessary to return an officer to the
United States to organize additional gas troops, he was
selected as the man best qualified, not only because he
thoroughly understood the needs of this special service,
but because he knew and believed in the spirit and
ideals of the regiment.
Major John B. Carlock.
First Gas Regiment.

Major Carlock has proven himself a man of real
abilit>^ and judgment, a leader of men, and has devoted
himself intelligently and untiringly to the work of the
regiment. His early grasp of the tactical possibilities of
Special Gas Troops has been of the greatest assistance
in their training and in directing their operations.

He carried out the first independent projector opera-
tion successfully, overcoming the greatest difficulties.
The work of his battalion in both the St. Mihiel and
Argonne-Meuse operations deserves the highest com-
mendation. Always an example to his men and able to
obtain their best efforts, nothing has been too difficult
to accomplish.

Captain James E. Mills, Engineer Officer.
First Gas Regiment.

Captain Mills, as Engineer Officer, has rendered in-
valuable service. With a precise practical knowledge
of chemistry, he so applied himself as to become mas-
ter of the tactical use of chemical materials in war.

He has left nothing undone which physical and men-
tal endurance would allow.

APPENDIX 239

He has thoroughly acquainted himself with front line
conditions, frequently exposing himself to enemy action
with an utter disregard for his own personal safety.

His absolute unselfish devotion to duty has been an
inspiration and guide to the entire regiment.
Captain Harris E. Dexter, Supply Officer.
First Gas Regiment.

Captain Dexter has rendered invaluable service. In
a new service which required operations over an ex-
tended front, including the development and opera-
tion of many dumps, and in which the greatest difficul-
ties were experienced in obtaining supplies, frequently
necessitating the manufacture of certain elements, he
has provided supplies, which has allowed operations to
be carried on continuously.

He has maintained a large fleet of transportation
under the most difficult conditions.

He has kept himself thoroughly informed of the
operating conditions of the companies, frequently ex-
posing himself to enemy action with an utter disre-
gard for his own personal safety.

With nothing too difficult, time no consideration,
and prompted by the highest ideal of service, his work
has been a series of achievements.
Captain Edward Steidle.
First Gas Regiment.

Captain Steidle has worked untiringly and unceas-
ingly for the best interests of the regiment and the
service. While attached to the British forces his marked
ability and eagerness to perform more than his allotted
share of the work earned for him the highest praise
from English officers. In the various companies of the
regiment to which he has been assigned, his work as a

240 APPENDIX

platoon leader stood out preeminently. At the begin-
ning of the Argonne-Meuse Battle, he assumed com-
mand of a company whose personnel was entirely
strange to him, and carried out operations which were
of the greatest assistance to the infantry, inspiring his
men to renewed efforts, after weeks of arduous toil, by
his own courageous and cheerful example. Although
handicapped by casualties among his experienced offi-
cers and non-commissioned officers, which forced him
to attend to many minor details personally, he was
continually seeking new opportunities to be of assist-
ance to the infantry. With no thought for himself,
when severely wounded, he persisted in writing a
note of instruction to his Second-in-Command before
being evacuated to the hospital.
Captain Roscoe C. Berlin.
First Gas Regiment.

Captain Berlin has proven himself an exceptionally
efficient and proficient officer. His work, while with
the British forces, received most favorable commenda-
tion from the British Officers. Upon assuming com-
mand of Company D, his every effort was bent on de-
veloping it into the best company of the regiment, to
which end he worked unceasingly and untiringly. His
first thought was for the welfare and condition of his
men. During the St. Mihiel Battle, under conditions
that were entirely new, and in spite of obstacles which
appeared unsurmountable, by his own cheerful and
courageous example he inspired his men to carry on
the work, though physically exhausted by days and
nights of continuous toil of the most arduous nature,
thereby rendering invaluable assistance to the assault-
ing infantry.

APPENDIX 241

Captain J. T. McNamee, M.C, R.F.A.
First Gas Regiment.

Captain McNamee has accepted every duty and re-
sponsibility which has fallen to his lot. It has not mat-
tered what the duty was or what the conditions were.
He has given himself and of his experience as gener-
ously as it was possible to give.

In the training and instruction of our officers and
men he has been a man of infinite patience, always
striving for thorough and tactically correct execution.
In active operations, whether it has been in rendering
advice or assistance to me, or actually directing the de-
tails of front line work, it has all been prompted by a
devotion to duty which has been inspired.

In developing a more aggressive form of attack for
the Special Gas Troops, his assistance, especially in
the field, has been of the greatest value.

His conduct has been exemplary, and, in the face of
the enemy, courageous at all times.

For his work with the First Battalion in the drive to
the Vesle, he was awarded our Distinguished Service
Cross.

In the St. Mihiel drive, he walked fourteen (14)
miles on the last night over roads and through traffic
that a less resolute man would have considered im-
passable, obtained some necessary supplies which
made possible the carrying on of an operation which
he himself supervised.

In the Argonne-Meuse drive he spent forty-eight
(48) hours in the foremost area at the time when our
advance was the most bitterly contested, personally
supervised the liaison and conduct of our first opera-
tion in which gas was used in connection with an ad-

242 APPENDIX

vance of the Infantry. There is no question but that he
was largely responsible for the very successful result
obtained.

His entire service with the regiment has been in
keeping with these citations, and has been such that I
have known that where our men were carrying on
operations with Captain McNamee's assistance and
supervision, that they would be well and correctly
done.

Second Lieutenant Eugene Wilfred Everett.
First Gas Regiment.

Lieutenant Everett has enjoyed the respect and
loyalty of every man in his platoon, because of his
willingness to share every hardship, discomfort, and
danger with them. He was ever ready and anxious
to respond to any call of duty and any order given
to him, no matter how disagreeable or dangerous it
might be.

His work in installing projectors and Stokes mortars
was marked with such good workmanship that very
few, if any, rounds ever failed to fire.

His work on the field showed that he was without
fear. He was wounded on three separate occasions.
One of these was by a machine-gun bullet during the
Argonne-Meuse drive. After having it dressed, he re-
fused to go to the hospital, because the company was
short of officers, due to casualties.

On September 14, while assisting Lieutenant Owen
in putting on a smoke screen on the East of the Mo-
selle River, at Pont-^-Mousson, to aid the infantry in
making a raid on the Bel-Air Farm, he showed particu-
lar courage and coolness. In order to see how effective
this screen was, he decided to go over the top with the

APPENDIX 243

infantry. A shell struck in his immediate vicinity,
wounding an officer and five men, the arm of one be-
ing torn off at the shoulder. He immediately took off
his belt and bound up the shreds of flesh remaining at
the shoulder, and effectively stopped the flow of blood.
He gave similar first aid treatment to the five other
men, and carried the six to a place of safety. When
these men were evacuated to the Hospital on the fol-
lowing day, these original bandages were still intact,
and the surgeon in attendance stated that the first aid
rendered by Lieutenant Everett had saved the life of
the man whose arm had been blown off.
Lieutenant William B. Miller.
First Gas Regiment.

Lieutenant Miller has rendered services of the great-
est value to the regiment. As officer in charge of bat-
talion ammunition dumps, he was very efficient, work-
ing tirelessly to prepare ammunition for the operating
companies. Upon being assigned to Company B as a
platoon commander, he immediately proved himself an
efficient and able leader. During the drive at Chateau-
Thierry his work was of the highest grade. On nu-
merous occasions he volunteered for especially ardu-
ous tasks, and carried them out most successfully.
Throughout the Argonne-Meuse Battle his work was
exceptionally brilliant. Although handicapped by the
loss of many of his experienced men and being himself
sick and suffering from bruises sustained by a shell ex-
plosion, he continued to carry on, not only fighting his
platoon in a masterly way, but in addition carrying on
the liaison with the various infantry units to which he
was attached, in a most diplomatic way. With no
thought of self, he continued to lead his men until the

244 APPENDIX

last day of the battle, continuously inspiring them to
renewed efforts through his own courageous example.
First Lieutenant Wesley R. Grasle.
First Gas Regiment.

Lieutenant Grasle has unselfishly and devotedly
performed all of his duties as an officer, in the com-
pany and on the line, since arriving in France on the
loth of March, 191 8; without the least regard of per-
sonal sacrifice.

His record on the line shows one of entire devotion
to the Service and duty; his work and guidance in the
line work has been of the highest standard. He led his
platoon and detachments safely through all engage-
ments without regard for personal danger.

He participated in the Chilteau-Thierry Drive, in
the St. Mihiel offensive and all through the Argonne-
Meuse offensive.

On October 15 and 16 he installed and fired 237
C.G. gas projectors, on the Tenth French Colonial Di-
vision's front, to project gas on the enemy-occupied
areas in the vicinity of Ornes, without a casualty, al-
though the vicinity of the position was heavily shelled.

On November 6, 1918, while operating with the Fifth
Division, and while leading his detachment of two
platoons through Bois de Chatillon he found a com-
pany of infantry separated from its officers. He re-
organized this company, pushed through the woods,
and connected up with the attacking companies on
the left.

In consideration of his thoughtful deeds and ability,
together with willingness to accept responsibility as
shown at all times, I therefore recommend that he be
awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.

APPENDIX 245

Second Lieutenant D. L. Hough.
First Gas Regiment.

He enlisted as a private, and his work from first
joining the company was of such a nature as to indi-
cate that he was a man of marked ability. No matter
how trivial or disagreeable the task was, he performed
it with equal willingness and efficiency. His rise in the
ranks of a non-commissioned officer was rapid, and on
every occasion he demonstrated his ability as a leader
of men.

His loyalty to his duty, his untiring efforts, and his
invariably volunteering for service on every occasion
that presented itself were marked.

During the first week in September, the infantry in
the Toul Sector suspected an enemy gas projector at-
tack along their front. Neither patrol nor air recon-
naissance could verify this. Volunteers were asked for
to enter the enemy support lines and farther, if neces-
sary, to examine this work. Lieutenant Hough volun-
teered, and was one of the two men who entered the
enemy lines with a half dozen infantry-men and, after
examining the situation, returned safely to their lines.

In both the St. Mihiel and Argonne-Meuse opera-
tions, he was present with his platoon on every occa-
sion. On October 3 a direct hit on a dugout occupied
by the officers of the company made casualties of all
of them and necessitated their evacuation to a hospi-
tal. Lieutenant Hough, being the ranking non-com-
missioned officer present at the time, immediately and
effectively took command of the company without
further orders, interviewed the officers of the division
with which he was working, and, in accordance with
their orders, made a reconnaissance, and completely

246 APPENDIX

arranged for firing on the target which had been given
him.

He was in every operation undertaken by his com-
pany up to the time he was sent for to attend the Offi-
cers Training School at Hanlon Field.
Master Engineer C. W. Ahrens.
Regimental Hdqrs., First Gas Regiment.

He has worked unselfishly and unsparingly for the
interest of the service. He has continually volunteered
to do work outside of his prescribed line of duty. Dur-
ing the St. Mihiel Battle he worked day and night
transporting ammunition and supplies to the men in
the line, and it was largely due to his resourcefulness
and pertinacity that Company D was able to make its
brilliant showing. Throughout the Argonne-Meuse
Battle, until completely worn out by sickness and
fatigue, his work was even more valuable. On one oc-
casion he walked over twenty miles at night through
the mud to obtain a truck for rations, this after having
worked continuously for the previous thirty-six hours.
When enemy aircraft were flying low and machine-
gunning the infantry, he assembled a platoon of Com-
pany D and brought down one plane by rifle fire. His
cheerful, willing disposition under most adverse condi-
tions was an inspiration to the men.

APPENDIX F

LIST OF OFFICERS AND MEN

I. Commissioned Personnel of Regimental Head-
quarters and of First and Second Battalions at
stated periods.

Dec. 26, 1917
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS

Major E. J. Atkisson Commanding Officer
Major George S. Weinberg

Captain Charles P. Wood Adjutant

Captain James E. Mills Engineer Officer

1st Lieut. Harris E. Dexter Supply Officer

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major Louis E. Robbe Commanding Officer

Captain John B. Stuart Adjutant

Captain John B. Carlock Engineer Officer

1st Lieut. Nathaniel J. Owen Supply Officer

COMPANY A

Captain W. G. Gribbel Commanding

Captain Roscoe C. Berlin

1st Lieut. A. J. A. Peterson

1st Lieut. Proal Judson, Jr.

1st Lieut. David Morey, Jr.

2nd Lieut. Alfred A. Bernheim

2nd Lieut. George Noble

and Lieut. Joseph T. Hanlon

248 APPENDIX

COMPANY B
Captain George L. Watson Commanding

Captain F. Walter Pond
1st Lieut. G. A. M. Schaefer
1st Lieut. Albert W. Paine
1st Lieut. Thomas H. Beddall
2nd Lieut. Henry Stoepker
2nd Lieut. Raymond Weakland
2nd Lieut. William H. Knox
2nd Lieut. Horace E. Hall

\
COMPANY C

Captain L. Lowenberg Commanding

ist Lieut. C. S. Stevenson

1st Lieut. Paul H. Cordes

1st Lieut. James C. Webster

1st Lieut. Alfred C. Day

2nd Lieut. Scott Trammell

COMPANY D
Captain Arthur W. Geiger Commanding

Captain Roscoe B. Dayton
1st Lieut. Harry W. Favre
1st Lieut. J. C. Feeley, Jr.
2nd Lieut. Duncan McA. Johnston
2nd Lieut. John A. Caldwell
2nd Lieut. Samuel A. Greenstone

MEDICAL DETACHMENT
Captain Phil J. Keizer Regimental Surgeon

1st Lieut. Paul L. Goss
1st Lieut. Jerome P. Webster

1st Lieut. Herve C. Manon Dental Surgeon

1st Lieut. John S. McKee

APPENDIX 249

May 25, 1918
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS
Lieut.-Col. E. J. Atkisson Commanding

Captain C. P. Wood Adjutant

Captain J. E. Mills Engineer Officer

Captain A. W. Geiger (Attached)

1st Lieut. H. E. Dexter Supply Officer

1st Lieut. J. T. Addison Chaplain

1st Lieut. A. A. Bernheim Personnel Officer

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Captain G. L. Watson Commanding

1st Lieut. Richard Catlett Adjutant

1st Lieut. A. J. A. Peterson Supply Officer

1st Lieut. Charles I. Dague Meteorological Officer

2nd Lieut. H. E. Hall Engineer Officer

COMPANY A
Captain W. G. Gribbel Commanding

1st Lieut. Proal Judson, Jr.
1st Lieut. David Morey, Jr.
1st Lieut. Edward Steidle
1st Lieut. Edward V. Wetmore
1st Lieut. George Noble
2nd Lieut. Edward M. Robinson
2nd Lieut. S. A. Greenstone

COMPANY B
Captain J. B. Carlock Commanding

1st Lieut. Ben Perris
1st Lieut. A. W. Paine
1st Lieut. T. H. Beddall
1st Lieut. Henry Stoepker
2nd Lieut. W. R. Grasle

2^0 APPENDIX

2nd Lieut. J. T. Hanlon
2nd Lieut. H. J. Bash

PROVISIONAL BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major L. E. Robbe Commanding

Captain J. B. Stuart Acting Engineer

Officer
1st Lieut. F. L. Ahern Acting Adjutant

and Supply Officer

COMPANY C

Captain Harold W. Sibert Commanding

1st Lieut. P. H. Cordes

1st Lieut. J. C. Webster;

1st Lieut. A. C. Day

1st Lieut. Raymond Weakland

2nd Lieut. D. M. Johnston

2nd Lieut. Edward W. CoUedge (Attached)

COMPANY D
Captain R. C. Berlin Commanding

1st Lieut. H. W. Favre
1st Lieut. J. C. Feeley, Jr.
1st Lieut. N. J. Owen
1st Lieut. N. T. Sellman t
2nd Lieut. W. H. Knox
2nd Lieut. Edwin Smiley

MEDICAL DETACHMENT
Captain P. J. Keizer Regimental Surgeon

1st Lieut. P. L. Goss
1st Lieut. J. P. Webster

1st Lieut. H. C. Manon Dental Surgeon

1st Lieut. J. S. McKee

Second Battalion Headquarters, Company E and Company
F, in United States.

APPENDIX

251

Sept. 12, 1918
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS

Colonel E. J. Atkisson

Lieut. -Col. R. W. Crawford

Captain J. E. Mills

Captain H. E. Dexte.

Captain N. L. Roberts, M.C., R.F.A.

1st Lieut. J. C. Feeley, Jr.

1st Lieut. J. T. Addison

1st Lieut. A. A. Bernheim

2nd Lieut. F. C. Hamilton

Commanding

Engineer Officer
Supply Officer
(Attached)
Adjutant
Chaplain
Personnel Officer
Assistant Adjutant

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS

Major G. L. Watson

Captain J. T. McNamee, M.C., R.F.A.

1st Lieut. T. H. Beddall

1st Lieut. A. J. A. Peterson

2nd Lieut. H. E. Hall

COMPANY A
Captain Walter F. Pond
1st Lieut. Proal Judson, Jr.
1st Lieut. George Noble
1st Lieut. N. T. Sellman
2nd Lieut. William C. Cooper
2nd Lieut. Fred C. Campbell
2nd Lieut. F. L. Firebaugh
2nd Lieut. Blake A. Williams

Commanding
(Attached)
Adjutant
Supply Officer
Engineer Officer

Commanding

COMPANY C
Captain L. Lowenberg
1st Lieut. J. C. Webster
1st Lieut. A. C. Day
1st Lieut. Raymond Weakland
1st Lieut. N. J. Owen

Commanding

2_J2 APPENDIX

1st Lieut. E. V. Wetmore
2nd Lieut. E. W. Colledge
2nd Lieut. Eugene W. Everett

COMPANY E
Captain R. B. Dayton Commanding

1st Lieut. A. W. Paine
1st Lieut. R. B. Richardson
1st Lieut. J. V. Fleming
2nd Lieut. R. H. Hitchins
2nd Lieut. G. C. Burr
2nd Lieut. E. M. Robinson

COMPANY F
Captain Hiram J. Carson Commanding

1st Lieut. Edward Steidle
1st Lieut. Edward B. Blanchard
1st Lieut. H. C. Shockley
1st Lieut. Scott Trammell
2nd Lieut. D. M. Johnston
2nd Lieut. W. R. Grasle
2nd Lieut. W. A. Dozier

SECOND BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major J. B. Carlock Commanding

Captain J. C. Akers Engineer Officer

Captain D. M. Wilson, M.C., R.E. (Attached)

1st Lieut. H. H. Corson Adjutant

2nd Lieut. S. A. Greenstone Supply Officer

COMPANY B
1st Lieut. Ben Ferris Commanding

1st Lieut. R. S. Tucker
1st Lieut. E. E. Luder
1st Lieut. R. H. Catlett
1st Lieut. C. L Dague

APPENDIX 253

2nd Lieut. H. J. Bash
2nd Lieut. W. B. Miller
2nd Lieut. M. H. Zwicker
2nd Lieut. Thomas Jabine

COMPANY D
Captain R. C. Berlin Commanding

1st Lieut. H. W. Favre
2nd Lieut. W. H. Knox
2nd Lieut. P. A. Rideout
2nd Lieut. R. C. Swarts
2nd Lieut. C. E. Williams
2nd Lieut. Edwin Smiley

MEDICAL DETACHMENT
Captain P. J. Keizer ,; Regimental Surgeon

1st Lieut. P. L, Goss 1
1st Lieut. J. P. Webster

1st Lieut. H. C. Manon Dental Surgeon

1st Lieut. J. S. McKee

Sept. 26, 1918
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS

Colonel E. J. Atkisson Commanding
Lieut.-Col. R. W. Crawford

Captain J. E. Mills Engineer Officer

Captain H, E. Dexter Supply Officer

Captain N. L. Roberts, M.C., R.F.A. (Attached)

1st Lieut. J. C. Feeley, Jr. Adjutant

1st Lieut. H. H. Corson Personnel Officer

1st Lieut. J. T, Addison Chaplain

2nd Lieut. F. C. Hamilton Assistant Adjutant

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Captain J. C. Akers Commanding

Captain J. T. McNamee, M.C., R.F.A. (Attached) ^

254 APPENDIX

1st Lieut. T. H. Beddall Adjutant

1st Lieut. A. J. A. Peterson Supply Officer

COMPANY C
Captain L. Lowenberg Commanding

Captain W. M. Page (Attached)

1st Lieut. N. J. Owen
1st Lieut. R. Weakland
1st Lieut. E. V. Wetmore
1st Lieut. A. C. Day
2nd Lieut. J. B. Brumhall
2nd Lieut. E. W. Colledge
2nd Lieut. E. W. Everett
2nd Lieut. Thomas Jabine

COMPANY E
Captain R. B. Dayton Commanding

1st Lieut. A. W. Paine
1st Lieut. J. V. Fleming
2nd Lieut. E. M. Robinson
2nd Lieut. R. H. Hitchins i
2nd Lieut. G. C. Burr
2nd Lieut. L. Thompson
2nd Lieut. L. L. LeVeque

SECOND BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major J. B. Carlock Commanding

Captain D. M. Wilson, M.C., R.E. (Attached)

1st Lieut. J. D. Morgan Adjutant

2nd Lieut. S. A. Greenstone Supply Officer

COMPANY B
1st Lieut. Ben Perris Commanding

1st Lieut. R. S. Tucker
1st Lieut. E. E. Luder
1st Lieut. C. L Dague ,

APPENDIX 255

2nd Lieut. H. J. Bash
2nd Lieut. W. B. Miller
2nd Lieut. M. H. Zwicker

' COMPANY D
1st Lieut. Edward Steidle Commanding

2nd Lieut. W. H. Knox
2nd Lieut. Edwin Smiley
2nd Lieut. P. A. Rideout
2nd Lieut. C. F. Williams
2nd Lieut. R. C. Swarts

PROVISIONAL BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Captain R. C. Berlin Commanding

2nd Lieut. E. R. Acker Adjutant

2nd Lieut. S. L. Menefee Supply Officer

COMPANY A
Captain W. F. Pond Commanding

1st Lieut. Proal Judson, Jr.
1st Lieut. George Noble
1st Lieut. N. T. Sellman
1st Lieut. R. H. Catlett
2nd Lieut. F. L. Firebaugh
2nd Lieut. W. C. Cooper
2nd Lieut. B. A. Williams
2nd Lieut. F. C. Campbell

COMPANY F
Captain H. J. Carson Commanding

1st Lieut. Scott Trammel!
1st Lieut. H. G. Shockley
2nd Lieut. W. A. Dozier
2nd Lieut. W. R. Grasle
2nd Lieut. D. M. Johnston
2nd Lieut. E. B. Blanchard

256

APPENDIX

MEDICAL DETACHMENT
Captain P. J. Keizer Regimental Surgeon

1st Lieut. P. L. Goss
1st Lieut. J. P. Webster

1st Lieut. H. C. Manon Dental Surgeon

1st Lieut. J. S. McKee

Nov. II, 1918
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS

Colonel E. J. Atkisson

Lieut.-Col. C. K. Rockwell

Captain J. E. Mills

Captain H. E. Dexter

Captain J. T. McNamee, M.C., R.F.A.

Captain N. L. Roberts, M.C., R.F.A.

Captain R. W. Balfe

Captain G. J. Sielaff

Captain H. H. Corson

Captain J. T. Taylor

1st Lieut. J. T. Addison

1st Lieut. E. L. Sands

Commanding

Engineer Officer

Supply Officer

(Attached)

(Attached)

Adjutant

Asst. Engr. Officer

Personnel Adjutant

Asst. Supply Officer

Chaplain

Chaplain

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major L. Lowenberg Commanding

COMPANY E
Captain R. B. Dayton
1st Lieut. E. M. Robinson
2nd Lieut. L. L. LeVeque
2nd Lieut. L. Thompson
2nd Lieut. C. Cobern
2nd Lieut. P. M. Nutty
2nd Lieut. G. C. Burr

Commanding

J Special Company, R.E., B.E.F.

(Attached)

APPENDIX

257

SECOND BATTALION HEADQUARTERS

Major J. B. Carlock Commanding

1st Lieut. S. A. Greenstone Acting Adjutant and

Supply Officer

COMPANY B
Captain Ben Perris
1st Lieut. R. S. Tucker
1st Lieut. H. J. Bash
1st Lieut. H. E. Stump
1st Lieut. C. L Dague '
2nd Lieut. W. B. Miller
2nd Lieut. W. B. Adams

Commanding

COMPANY D

1st Lieut. Bernard O'Brien
1st Lieut. W. H. Knox
1st Lieut. C. F. Williams
1st Lieut. Eugene Sibert
1st Lieut. S. Cutler
1st Lieut. M. L. Lambert

Commanding

FIRST PROVISIONAL BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major W. M. Page Commanding

1st Lieut. F. L. Ahem Adjutant

1st Lieut. S. L. Menefee Supply Officer

1st Lieut. E. E. Luder Engineer Officer

COMPANY C
Major W. F. Lockwood
1st Lieut. T. H. Beddall
1st Lieut. R. A. Brodesser
1st Lieut. C. L. Higbee
1st Lieut. R. W. Millar
1st Lieut. U. A. Lavery

Commanding

258 APPENDIX

COMPANY F
Captain J. C. Feeley, Jr. Commanding

1st Lieut. E. R. Acker
1st Lieut. D. M. Johnston
1st Lieut. W. R. Grasle
1st Lieut. J. C. Murray
1st Lieut. C. D. Wadsworth
1st Lieut. E. L. O'Meara
2nd Lieut. W. A. Dozier

SECOND PROVISIONAL BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Lieut.-Col. S. Bunker, R. E. Commanding

Captain M. Thomas, R. E. Adjutant

COMPANY A
Captain J. D. Morgan Commanding

1st Lieut. H. C. Shockley
1st Lieut. Edwin Smiley
1st Lieut. J. B. Donoho
2nd Lieut. F. C. Campbell
2nd Lieut. B. A. Williams

F, D, and Z Special Companies, R.E.,
B.E.F. (Attached)

MEDICAL DETACHMENT
Captain P. J. Keizer Regimental Surgeon

Captain J. S. McKee
1st Lieut. J. P. Webster
1st Lieut. H. C. Manon Dental Surgeon

Dec. 6, 1918
REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS
Colonel E. J. Atkisson Commanding

Major J. B, Carlock

APPENDIX

259

Engineer Officer

Supply Officer

Adjutant

Asst. Engr. Officer

Personnel Adjutant

Asst. Supply Officer

Chaplain

Chaplain

Captain J. E. Mills
Captain H. E. Dexter
Captain T. W. Balfe
Captain G. J. Sielaff
Captain H. H. Corson
Captain J. T. Taylor
1st Lieut. J. T. Addison
1st Lieut. E. L. Sands
1st Lieut. R. S. Tucker
1st Lieut. H. J. Bash
2nd Lieut. F. C. Campbell
2nd Lieut. J. W. Polkinghorn

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Captain Edward Steidle Commanding

1st Lieut. T. H. Beddall Adjutant ^

1st Lieut. S. A. Greenstone Supply Officer ^

2nd Lieut. S. W. Griffith Engineer Officer

COMPANY A
Captain J. D. Morgan
1st Lieut. H. G. Shockley
1st Lieut. Edwin Smiley
1st Lieut. W. C. Cooper
2nd Lieut. B. A. Williams
2nd Lieut. R. C. Comley
2nd Lieut. Arthur W. Jones
2nd Lieut. G. W. Neal
2nd Lieut. W. C. Howe

Commanding

COMPANY B
Captain Ben Perris
1st Lieut. Henry Stoepker
1st Lieut. J. Donoho
1st Lieut. E. M. Robinson
1st Lieut. H. E. Stump

Commanding

26o APPENDIX

1st Lieut. C. I. Dague
2nd Lieut. W. B. Miller
2nd Lieut. W. D. Adams
2nd Lieut. F. E. Blair
2nd Lieut. A. A. Aardal

COMPANY C
1st Lieut. E. R. Acker Commanding

1st Lieut. S. L. Menefee
1st Lieut. C. L. Higbee
1st Lieut. R. W. Millar
1st Lieut. U. A. La very
2nd Lieut. W. A. Dozier
2nd Lieut. H. K. Seeley
2nd Lieut. R. L Griffin

SECOND BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
Major L. Lowenberg Commanding

1st Lieut. J. C. Webster Adjutant

1st Lieut. R. A. Brodesser Supply Officer

2nd Lieut. Rhys Carter Engineer Officer

COMPANY D
1st Lieut. Bernard O'Brien Commanding

1st Lieut. W. H. Knox
1st Lieut. C. F. Williams
1st Lieut. Eugene Sibert
1st Lieut. M, L. Lambert
1st Lieut. D. M. Johnston
2nd Lieut. H. K. Reed
2nd Lieut. H. M. Rayner
2nd Lieut. Robert Brantley

COMPANY E
Captain R. B. Dayton Commanding

Captain E. E. Luder

APPENDIX 261

2nd Lieut. L. L. LeVeque
2nd Lieut. Lauren Thompson
2nd Lieut. Camden Cobern
2nd Lieut. P. M. Nutty
2nd Lieut. G. C. Burr
2nd Lieut. P. F. Mousby

COMPANY F
Captain J. C. Feeley, Jr. Commanding

1st Lieut. W. R. Grasle ^

1st Lieut. J. C. Murray
1st Lieut. C. D. Wadsworth
1st Lieut. E. L. O'Meara
2nd Lieut. M. H. Zwicker
2nd Lieut. H. D. Krebs
2nd Lieut. E. H. Syms

MEDICAL DETACHMENT
Captain P. J. Keizer Regimental Surgeon

Captain J. S. McKee
1st Lieut. J. P. Webster
1st Lieut. H. C. Manon Dental Surgeon

2. List of Officers of First and Second Battalions with
their rank when last serving with those units.

Aardal, Albert A. Second Lieut. C.W.S.

Acker, Ernest R. First Lieut. C.W.S.

Adams, W. B. Second Lieut. C.W.S.

Addison, James T. First Lieut. (Chaplain) i

Ahern, F. L. First Lieut. C.W.S.

Akers, James C. Captain, C.W.S.

Alley, John Major, Infantry

Atkisson, Earl J. Colonel, Engineers

Balfe, Thomas W. Captain, C.W.S.

Bash, Harold J. First Lieut. C.W.S.

262

APPENDIX

Beddall, Thomas H.
Berlin, Roscoe C.
Bernheim, Alfred A.
Blair, Flay E.
Blanchard, Edward B.
Borden, Howard C.
Brantley, Robert
Brodesser, R. A.
Brumhall, John H.
Burr, George C.
Caldwell, John A.
Campbell, Fred C.
Carlock, John B.
Carson, Hiram J.
Carter, Rhys E.
Catlett, Richard H.
Cobern, Camden
Colledge, Edward W.
Comley, Roy C.
Conard, F. U.
Cooper, William C.
Cordes, Paul H.
Corson, Harold H.
Crawford, Robert W.
Cutler, Sewall
Dague, Charles I.
Day, Alfred C.
Dayton, Roscoe B.
Devlin, F. C.
Dexter, Harris E.
Donoho, James B,
Douglas, Stephen A.
Dozier, William A.
Everett, Eugene W.^
Favre Harry W-

First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, Engineers
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Major, C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. Infantry
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. E.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. Engineers
Captain, C.W.S.
Lieut.-Colonel, C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
Deceased.

APPENDIX

263

Feeley, John C, Jr.
Firebaugh, Frederick L.
Fleming, John V.^
Geiger, Arthur W.
Goodrich, William
Goss, Paul L.^
Grasle, W. R.
Greenstone, Samuel A.
Gribbel, W. G.
Griffin, R. I.
Griffith, Shelby N.
Hall, Horace E.
Hamilton, Frank C.
Hanlon, Joseph T.^
Hardesty, G. R.
Higbee, C. W.
Hitchens, Robert H.
Hough, David L.
Howe, W. C. .
Jabine, Thomas
Johnston, Duncan McA.
Jones, Arthur W.
Judson, Proal, Jr.
Keizer, Phil J.
Kelly, Patrick '.
Knapp, Ralph
Knox, W. H.
Kobbe, William H.
Krebs, Harry D.
Lambert, M. L.
Lavery, U. A.
LeVeque, L. L.
Lockwood, W. G.
Lowenberg, Laurent
Luder, Earl E.

Captain, C.W.S. ^
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
First Lieut. E.R.C.
First Lieut. M.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. E.R.C.
Captain, E.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. Engineers
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, M.R.C.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. E.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain E.R.C.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Major, C.W.S.
Major, C.W.S. '
Captain, C.W.S. ^
Deceased.

264

APPENDIX

McKee, John S.
McNamee, J. T.
Malinka, Henry
Manon, Herve C.
Menefee, S. L.
Millar, Russel W.
Miller, William B.
Mills, James E.
Morgan, John D.
Morey, David, Jr.
Mousby, Paul F.
Murray, C. J.
Neal, G. W.
Neeley, C. H.
Noble, George
Nutty, P. M.
O'Brien, Bernard.
O'Meara, E. L.
Owen, Nathaniel J.^
Page, William M.
Paine, Albert W.
Perris, Ben
Peterson, Alfred J. A.
Polkinghorn, John W.
Pond, Walter F.
Pope, Frederick W.
Rayner, Harry M.
Reed, Harry K.
Rhode, Leo M.
Richardson, C. E.
Richardson, Ralph B.
Rideout, P. A.^
Robbe, Louis E.
Roberg, P. E.
Roberts, N. L.

Captain, M.R.C.
Captain, M.C., R.F.A., B.E.F,
First Lieut. E.R.C.
First Lieut. M.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Major, C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
First Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.*^
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S. •
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Major, C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
First Lieut. E.R.C.
First Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Major, E.R.C.
Captain, M.R.C.
Captain, M.C., R.F.A., B.E.F.
Deceased.

APPENDIX

265

Robinson, Edward M.
Rockwell, C. K.
Rust, John D.
Sands, E. L.
Schaefer, G. A. M.
Schurr, H. B.
Scott, W. E.
Seeley, H. K.
Shockley, Harry G.
Sellman, N. T.
Sibert, Eugene
Sibert, Harold W.
Sielaflf, G. J.
Simpson, C. C.
Smiley, Edwin
Stanwick, Charles A.
Steidle, Edward
Stevenson, C. S.
St. John, Adrian
Stoepker, Henry
Stuart, John Bruce
Stump, Horace E.
Swarts, R. C.
Syms, E. H.
Taylor, J. T.
Thompson, L.
Trammell, Scott
Tucker, Rufus S.
Twohey, J. C.
Voge, A. L.
Wadsworth, C. D.
Watson, George L.
Weakland, Raymond
Webster, J. C.
Webster, Jerome P.
Weinberg, George S.

First Lieut. C.W.S.
Lieut. -Colonel C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
First Lieut. (Chaplain) '••
First Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. Engineers
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, Engineers
Captain, C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. E.R.C.
Captain, C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
Captain, Cavalry
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, Cavalry
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, E.R.C.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Major, C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. M.C.
Major, E.R.C.

266

APPENDIX

Wetmore, Edward V.
Williams, Blake A.
Williams, C. F.
Williams, H. C.i
Wilson, D. N.
Wood, Charles P.
Zwicker, M. H.

First Lieut. C.W.S.
Second Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
First Lieut. C.W.S.
Captain, M.C., R.E., B.E.F.
Captain, E.R.C.
Second Lieut. Engineers

3. List of men in First and Second Battalions ^ with
their ranks when last serving with those units.'

REGIMENTAL HEADQUARTERS DETACHMENT

Regimental Sergeants-Major

Foley, James M.

Killam, Walter H.

Welcher, Eugene P.
MO'Ster Engineers Senior
Grade

Hincken, Robert E.

Pond, Henry V.

Rupert, Karl C.
Master Engineer Junior Grade

Stansbury, Irvin E.
Regimental Supply Sergeants

Collins, Gilbert L.

Smith, Mercer M.
Sergeants

Brant, Walter B.

Carn, Fred L.

Crowe, Edgar J.

Daugherty, Albert C.

Garrett, Hugh C.

Hatton, Valentine.

Kuhlthau, Miles H.

McPherson, Daniel L.
Wagoners

Delaney, Frank L.

Hamel, Wilfred J. ,

Turck, Pierre
Cooks

Dockins, Orme ^

Sullivan, William H.
Privates First Class

Clark, Newell A.

Heimlich, Charles

Hofifman, Burton N.

Lappin, Frank L.

Meinhardt, Walter J.

^ Deceased.

2 Men's names will usually be found in the unit to which they
were last assigned. If you do not find them there, try elsewhere.

3 Some promotions made after reaching Camp Kendrick are
not noted.

APPENDIX

267

Privates

Corrigan, John F.
Dunn, Arthur F.
Gill, George V.
Glossa, Frank J.
Hoflfbauer, Walter F.
Holton, Albert L.
Hood, Raymond M.
Joyce, John R.

Kearney, Francis X.
Litts, L. S.
Martin, Charles
May, Edward C.
Mead, Winfield D.
Potts, William K.
Tibbetts, Wesley H.
Wells, Glenn H.

FIRST BATTALION HEADQUARTERS DETACHMENT

Master Engineer Senior
Grade

Ahrens, Clyde William

Allen, F. L.^
Master Engineer Junior
Grade

Craig, Harvey Clarence
Battalion Sergeants-Major

Snelsire, Joseph A.^

West, Walter W.
Battalion Supply Sergeant

Cooley, Charles R.
Sergeants

Carson, Alexander R.

Weidman, Oliver H.

Wilkerson, R. H.
Corporals

Bailey, Harry E.

Perkins, Melville F.
Wagoner

Bousquet, Pierre H.
Cooks

Evans, Robert F.

Morgan, William E.

Mechanics

Fewer, Walter S.

Kelling, George H.

Pelletier, Alfred G.

Sabins, Lyle A.
Privates First Class

Crippen, Harley B.

LePage, Wade G.

Rothrock, Jess S.

Wilkes, Frederick H.

Zuercher, Jerome C.
Privates

Abbitt, Ray E.

Adams, Clinton E.
' Boyle, Harry

Edwards, Myron J.

Grover, Edward Roy

Johnson, Glenn E.

Kirkwood, James

Kossmehl, Oscar H.

Robinson, Aaron C.

Spitzer, Exiward A.

Stanley, Russell C.

Stebbins, Ralph L.
Deceased.

268

APPENDIX

Straub, John G.
Thelen, Gustave A.
Thomas, Harry

White, Carl
Williams, Ray G.
Wilson, Eldon H.

COMPANY A

First Sergeant

Reed, Harry Elden
Sergeants First Class

Chaffin, Pierce V.

Cobun, Walter H.

Farren, John M.

McConnell, Lewis D.

McDonald, John F.

Schaaf, Edward A.
Mess Sergeants

Patton, G. S.i

Stauf, Fred L.
Supply Sergeant

Hense, Otto Paul
Sergeants

Blair, Millard F.

Breitung, Charles A.

Chatty, Arthur

Dougherty, Wallace R.

Eastman, Clifford I.

Fleming, Frank L.

Graves, John C.

Hanauer, William E.

Knouff, A. R.i

McDonald, H. C.

McGinnis, Thomas P.

O'Connor, Edwin

Pfann, Elmer Charles

Westmoreland, John W

Williams, Paul E.

Wright, M. F.

Corporals
Arthur, Charles E.
Bailey, Frederick
Bamper, John W.
Bonner, Barney E.
Brockway, George H.
Carlson, George W.
Church, Calvin J.
Clark, Thomas G.
Davis, John
Dilks, Joseph N.
Dodd, Joseph C*
Dudley, Ira Bean.
Dumas, William A.
Eastland, Van O.
Fischer, Henry
Hughes, Joseph F.
Irwin, Frank R.
Jepsen, Edwin
Jewett, Henry C.
Jordon, John P.
Lewis, Howard A.
Marks, Robert E.
Maurer, George
McDermott, Leo A.
McKee, Edward R.
Meyers, Joseph L.
Morris, Louis M.
Mulcahy, Daniel J.
Murphy, Howard F.
Nay, Orin E.
Deceased.

APPENDIX

269

Postle, William

Richardson, William

Rodgers, Karl F.

Schmidt, Charles J.

Sween, Olaf J.

Whalen, James

Williams, Ira

Wilson, Overton S.

Zick, William J.
Horseshoer

Phillips, William H.
Saddler

Carey, John C.
Wagoners

Carey, Edward Thomas

Davis, Leonard J.

Martin, Howard C.

Molesworth, Roger W.

Schrader, Norman Ray

Seaton, Leslie F.
Cooks

Cain, John

Christian, Albert H.

Hicks, George William

Parrish, Henry

Smith, Audrey H.

Spiers, Richard

Williams, John
Bugler

Scharch, Ellis J.
Privates First Class

Armstrong, Harry H.

Bandlow, George L.

Basenger, Samson

Beard, Ralph F.

Bell, George N.
Bjork, Henry
Bond, Clifton B.
Brown^ George C.
Brown, Lennia
Burns, James
Buxton, Bernard C*
Carhart, C. C.
Carter, Edward C.
Casey, Frank W.
Chagnon, A. H.
Chappell, Francis R.
Clark, William L.
Connor, William
Cooner, John D.
Cullin, Edward J.
Curriden, Harry
Dean, George S.
Desjardines, Irenne
Dinsmoor, Daniel S.
Dixon, John N.
Eitel, Charles A.
Farmer, Ula R.
Fearon, James
Ferguson, Arthur
France, Harry D.
Froelick, Edward F.
Giguere, Wilfred
Gorrow, Mitchell G.
Graham, William J.
Hass, Walter H.^
Heck, John R.
Hitchcock, James E.
Johnson, James F.
kidd, Mitchell T.
Deceased.

270

APPENDIX

Kinder, Ralph F.
Kirkwood, Joy
Latoski, Joseph P.
Lawton, Frederick
Lee, William Edward
Libby, Philip N.
Mahoney, David F.
McKee, J. T.
McKnight, Richard
McNeil, Archie
Moe, Claude P.
Mohn, Newton C.
Moore, Jewell E.
Neal, Henry W.
Nott, Charles L.
Olive, Fred James
Pawlak, John
Poore, Leon
Proctor, William
Pryor, William J.
Quig, Joseph B.
Reade, Allen C.
Revelle, Frank
Rice, Leon S.
Richards, B. J.
Rutkowski, Joseph
Shea, Thomas A.
Sheerin, Michael
Smith, A. M.
Smith, Alfred M. ,
Stone, Everett
Sutton, Harry R. ^
Tench, Robert C.
Tunny, James P.
Turner, Walter M.
West, John J.

Privates
Abildgaard, Raymond R.
Adams, Frank Chester
Allen, Norman D.
Amner, Charles N.
Ansalone, John A.
Babcock, James A.
Baker, William P.
Balensiefer, Julius
Banner, Lionel A.
Barry, John
Beckner, Orville O.
Beer, William O.
Bell, Clifton
Benton, Borin R.
Bernard, August L.
Billups, Paul H.
Bishop, Noble H.
Blackwell, Wilson M.
Boisvert, Ernest
Bond, Walter E.
Bonney, Guy E.
Bowe, Charles H.
Brandt, Oscar A.
Brean, Nicholas
Broderick, William E.
Brown, Harry J.
Bruno, Louis
Buckley, Michael
Burns, James L
Byer, Charles W. ,'
Cade, John E.
Campfield, Floyd ;
Carey, Michael
Carson, Henry Morton
Clark, James W.

APPENDIX

271

Clark, Roscoe E. '
Clinton, Harry C.
Conlon, Emmett P.
Coon, Perry T.
Cotter, Louis J.
Curtis, Jasper G. ,
Digney, Joseph ^
DiMayo, Robert
Dodson, Manon W.
Domler, ClifTord H.
Eagan, Anthony
Eddy, Hercy R.
Ellis, Robert
Ely, Austin L.
Ewers, William A. ^
Fairhill, Lester E.
Fenlason, Harris
Ferguson, Frank M. BJ
Flynn, Edmund D.
Foster, Thomas E.
French, Russell A.
French, Walter A.
Garr, Russell E.
Geston, Mathew
Gill, Charles F.
Glass, Charles
Godbold, John F.
Gordon, Charles W.
Grace, Harry
Grayshon, Alfred B. v^
Greene, Perez W.
Guilliambordo, Guisto
Gulich, Leeds
Hansen, Alfred A. H.
Hansen, O. A.^

Harbert, Otto A.

Harrigan, Charles R.

Harrington, Carl L.

Harrison, Ivan Roy

Hester, Clarence

Honack, William J.

Honegger, Arthur H.

Horrigan, Arthur

Howe, Bertin

Hubbard, McKinley

Hughes, Arthur R.

Hunter, Lawrence

Johnson, Carl V. E.

Jordon, Rodney V.

Julleis, Joseph L.

Kakascik, Ambrose F.

Kearns, Joseph E.
I King, E. A.

Klauber, Lester

Knollin, Loyal C. ' .

Kranik, Frank

Larson, Edwin

Lawrence, Edwin J.

Layden, Edward L.

Leacock, William J.

Lee, Asia A.

Lenzini, Michael

Leopold, Walter

Livingston, Lawrence

Lohse, E. D.

Lowey, Martin J.

Lynch, Frank, Jr.

Lynn, Otto

Magee, Patrick H.

Mallory, H.
Deceased.

272

APPENDIX

Matthew, Robert M.
McConville, Michael J.
McCoy, E. P.
McCray, Fred J.
. McCullough, Perl J.
Mcintosh, George J.
McLean, Bayden P.
McMahan, William E.
McPherson, Colon Francis
Metsker, Charles B.
Middlemiss, John K.
Miller, Roy R.
Miller, Wyatt A.
Mills, E. R.i
Mills, Harry C.
Minoprio, Arthur J.
Mitchell, Orville M.
Moriarity, Joseph J.
Morrell, William M.
Mosher, Hugh H.
Moulds, A. R.
Multer, Hugh J.
Murray, James L.
Nastad, John P.
Newcomb, Theron
Niles, Leland W.
Nohilly, Joseph E.
Nygaard, Oscar C.
Oisten, Jesse L.
Oliver, Charles C.
Parker, John W.
Pazdowski, William
Peratta, Peter L.
Peterson, A. G.
Peterson, Victor

Pollard, Claude B. •
Povaelatas, Anthony
Powers, Owen J.
Pritchett, Charles C.
Reilly, William P.
Robinson, William S.
Ross, Charles J.
Ross, William E.
Rudy, Henry r
Russell, Joseph ^
Russo, George B.
Sanders, Robert
Schardin, Emory N.
Scott, Robert A.
Scully, Edward J.
Seebeck, Charles O.
Seeley, Archie L.
Senkivitch, Konstant ,
Shanks, James
Shine, Roland O.
Shrott, Reuben
Silvers, William L.
Smith, Arthur L.
Smith, Henry A.
Smith, Robert W.
Snelsire, Paul A.
Snider, George L.
Spasiano, Augustine
Sutch, Andrew
Thompson, John
Thompson, John T. H.
Tonner, Hugh A.
Torok, August M.
Towey, Martin, J.
Trabue, Wilfred C.

» Deceased.

APPENDIX

273

Trosello, Minote P.
Trowbridge, Wilbur P.
True, John T.
Turner, Henry
VanBeuren, William A.
Vaughin, Noal R.
Vivian, Edgar W.
Walker, Ira
Walker, Russel T.
Watson, Charles C.
Weaver, Frederick G.

Weese, Lloyd A.
Wener, Sam
Whipple, Leroy M.^
White, M. W.
Wien, Gilbert
Wood, Lawrence D.
Wood, Neal E.
Yant, Paul A.
Young, Charles A.
Zasple, Frank A.

COMPANY B

Master Engineers Junior
Grade

Frink, Ellis P.

Morgan, Henry A.

Wolcott, Arthur B.
First Sergeant

Hime, Gilbert L.
Sergeants First Class

Bailey, Earl H.

Dogherty, James M.

Hensley, Seth A.

Huggins, Charles N.

Martin, John J.

Officer, Robert H.
Mess Sergeant

Gannon, George
Supply Sergeant

Hawthorne, Albert W.
Sergeants

Blakeslee, P. C.

Connors, Charles J.

Costello, Joseph J.

Higginbottom, Harold J.
MacDougall, John
McCoy, Howard L.
Mercer, Benjamin F.
Nelson, Thomas
Steiwer, William H.
Taylor, James C.
Tozier, Daniel P.
Corporals
Baker, Noris O.
Beck, Weaver O.
Conroy, Edward J.
Evans, William F.
Hansen, Henry M.
Haskins, Charles E.
Honack, Henry A.
Keber, Henry
Kunst, Simon
Lewis, Bert
Lewis, H. A.
Logan, Aubrey E.
MacNeil, Paul W.
Deceased.

274

APPENDIX

Manness, Bailey B.

Mathieson, John T.

Montgomery, Edward

Morrison, William H.

Nielsen, Henry E.

Penland, J. H.

Pfaff , John E.

Plunkett, T. B.

Quinn, Walter F.

Regan, Leonard

Ring, J. J.

Roberts, George D.

d'Romtra, Percy

Schweitzer, Roland C.

Shappel, Leonidas M.

Slamon, J. B.^

Smith, H. N.

Smith, Perry C.

Staples, Ralph S.

Swetland, Glenn L.

Taylor, Virgil M.

Terpstra, Dominicus

Welton, Elden E.
Wagoners

Justice, Johnson

Moody, Bernhard H.

Moody, George C.

Soderquist, Paul W.

Steiger, William B.

Woodward, William H.
Cooks

Breiling, Fred

Murphy, Jerry J.

Smith, Ralph C.

Weil, Lester

Buglers

Foglietta, Emile D. P,

Ross, L. E.

Vaughn, Charles J.
Privates First Class

Ahl, Kinley P.

Becht, Howell

Beesley, Ellis, Jr.

Bird, Thomas

Bleight, John C.^

Bradley, Edward B.

Buchanan, Samuel D.

Cohen, Nathan

Cohen, Samuel

Conn, Clifford C.

Cottrell, Theodore

Culey, Joseph B.

Cunniff, Leo C.

Daymude, Ernest L.

Dimond, Leonard

Dowling, Fred H.

Doyle, Edward F.

Edwards, Henry C.

Graham, John S.

Gray, George C.^

Grimm, Emile G.

Guinn, Raymond J.

Hamilton, Robert

Hauflaire, Henry J.

Heim, William

Hix, Robert H.

Hyneman, Ray

Jackson, Clifford S.

Jones, Clyde L.

Jones, David B.
Deceased.

APPENDIX

275

Keys, Paul M.
Lally, Eugene
Lawler, William J.
LeFort, Henry B.
Lussier, Walter J.
Lyons, Arthur L.
McCrea, Truman H.
McDonough, James J.
McGrail, Leo A.
McMahon, John J.
Mahoney, David F.
Marlowe, John J.
Meinert, William J.
Messier, Thomas B.
Murphy, John E.
Murray, William A.
Musser, Albert M.
Neal, William K.i
O'Brien, Joseph F.
Orcutt, Milard H.
Osmun, Frank M.
Panuska, George J.*
Reisinger, Roy R.
Tarr, Arthur P.
Thornburg, Herbert W.
Twohig, John J.
Wagner, Ernest B.
Wagener, Willis W.
Willet, Joseph
Young, Ward W.
Privates

Ackerson, F. J.
Adams, Wilbur C.
Adamson, Reuben C.
Alford, G. A.

Allen, Frank M.
Appenheimer, Fred M.
Archer, Arthur W.
Aspery, Harry
Audrian, Calvert P.
Baer, Francis
Bakke, Einer A.
Barnes, Chauncey B.
Barrett, Theodore J.
Berkman, Charles
Billings, William F.
Bissell, Milburn A. '
Bittner, E. L
Bogardus, Edgar H.
Bowin, Edwin H.
Brady, Patrick
Brown, James
Brown, Peter L.
Bryant, Sterling J.
Bull, Eugene
Burke, James W.
Burmood, Arthur R.
Capehart, Archie
Chapman, Louis C.
Clancy, Raymond
Clark, Phil's.
Clithero, Russell
Clouse, Frank
Connolly, Eugene T.
Corl, Cady S.
Cotese, Felice
Cox, Alvin A.
Cox, James J.
Cram, Pierce E.
Crummitt, Clarence E.
Deceased.

276

APPENDIX

Cummlngs, Ward W.
Cunningham, William W.
Currid, John
Davis, Robert O.
Daybert, George W.
DeBaum, William H.
Denver, Charles T.
Desmond, Frank H.
Devereaux, C. J.
Diaz, Carl A.
Diehl, Theodore V.
Dyszelski, Joseph
Eddy, Hercy R.
Ellis, Asa G.
Emmons, Albert M.
Erickson, E. E.
Erthman, John
Estabrooks, John W.
Fahy, John J.
Faktor, Frank L.
Farmer, Ula R.
Fisler, Glenn P.
Fite, W. A.

Fitzgibbons, Michael J.
Fleming, John M.
Folsom, Harry W.
Fontanella, Leo
Foster, George D.
Fuhrman, P. C.
Fulcher, William H.
Gaist, Gustav C.
Gammell, L. W.
Gates, R. P.
Gillespie, Samuel
Glenn, H. W.

Goode, Roscoe C
Gordon, George A.
Grant, Richard J.
Grassi, Salvatore
Grimes, Charles A.
Griswold, William G.
Guilefuss, H. R.^
Hamilton, George D.
Hamreus, Henry
Harris, James L.
Harrison, E.
Harrison, Frank J.
Harrity, Mike J.
Haust, Charles W.
Heller, P. R.
Hickey, William J.
Hoffman, Frank H.
Humecky, Harry A.
Imrie, Walter G.
Johnson, James
Johnson, Verne L.
Johnson, William
Johnston, Robert A.
Jolley, John L.
Jones, James P.
Jusie, Walter
Kelley, Edward
Kerr, Wesley ^
King, Ernest A.
Lauer, R. E.
Lawrence, Wilber L.
Lentz, Harry E.
Lower, Lester R.
Ludeking, Carl C.
McAlpine, E. J.^

1 Deceased.

APPENDIX

277

McCormack, Hubert W.
McDole, G. R.
McDonald, George A.
McGuire, John L.
McLaughlin, John P.
McWilliams, F. E.
Maggard, F. H.
Mangum, Joseph M.
Marlin, William
Masse, Charles E.
Mendenhall, Glenn A.
Mendoza, Talesfero P.
Merkel, John^
Michalski, Adam J.
Miller, William H.
Millzner, Melville
Montgomery, Pearl E.
Munyan, Jesse
Newton, Clarence E.
Noe, Earl J.
Ober, Foster B.
Olesen, Elmer V.
Olsen, Carl C.
Partridge, George *
Potts, Carlton W.
Powell, E. D.i
Prescott, S. H.»
Price, William B.
Ramonda, Frank
Rehn, Philip L.
Rick, F. I.
Ripka, G. W.
Roach, Thomas J.
Rogers, Guy
Rollins, Chester B.

Romkey, Leonard J.
Rosenberg, George
Rudman, Benjamin
Rueber, Herman P.
Russell, William B.
Sager, Otto
Salyards, Francis F.
Saterlie, Oswald M.
Scales, H. C.
Schaeffer, Clyde R.
Schertz, Benjamin C.
Schmidt, Joseph A.
Schwartzwalder, Joseph J.
Seegars, James B.
Shaw, David W.
Simpson, R. VV.
Sinsel, F. C.
Skinner, Clifford H.
Slaton, Frederic E.
Smith, Charles J.
So wash, Henry L.
Spengel, Orville J.
Stemmerman, Charles J.
Stevens, Walter
Stewart, George W.
Stone, Charles A.
Stowers, William B.
Suttle, Walter A.
Swem, Harvey F.
Sykes, Harry J.
Thomas, John W.
Thompson, Fred
Triner, James
Troutman, Dewey
Twardowski, Michael
Deceased.

278

APPENDIX

Turner, Fred
Uffelman, Frank A.
Vanderven, Hebert
Verge, Henry R.
Vreeland, Frank L.
Wach, Stanley
Wademan, Floyd E.
Wagers, F. A.
Walsh, Patrick
Warren, William H.
Watson, Claude R.
Weber, Frank C.
Webster, Enoch
Wellman, Bert
Wheeler, John T.
Whitenett, Harold

First Sergeant

McGuffie, James J.
Sergeants First Class

Alexander, Neri L.

Cameron, Jenks

Cutler, Seth C.

Eastwood, Marion B

Harmon, William J.

Redmon, John T.

Webster, Clinton C.
Mess Sergeant

Geitner, Raymond J.
Supply Sergeants

Jones, W. L.

Miller, Chester B.
Sergeants

August, Jack

Whitman, F. W.
Widdecombe, James
Will, Edward B.
Williams, Charles H.
Williams, Edward R.
Williams, Sidney A.
Willis, John
Wilson, Harry B.
Wistrack, Thomas K.
Yaeckel, Robert C.
Yancey, Robert O.
Young, Alexander M.
Young, J. E.
Zidek, Frank J.
Zimer, Theodore F.

COMPANY C

Bartlett, Bryon T.
Bringman, Ralph A.
Carroll, Patrick E.
Carroll, William F.i
Gillenwaters, T. F.
Goldsmith, L. C.
Kaiser, John
Keddie, George F.
Ligon, Murray L.
McRedmond, William H.
Stearns, Lewis T.
Turman, Byron A.
Webb, John A.
Wilcox, Harold L.
Corporals
Aldrick, Orth E.
Bassett, Clive E.
1 Deceased.

APPENDIX

279

Bliss, Norman T.
Bradfield, James P.
Burns, Chester L.
Butler, Mifflin M.
Callan, Thomas H.
Carter, Edward C.
Cornett, Edward C.
Davis, Robert E.
Douglas, Dave W.
Fox, Burton
Herrington, Thomas J.
Jackson, Charles H.
Jones, Russell M.
Jordon, Rodney B.
Korfist, Jeremiah
Kroth, George
Larson, Minerd
Lewis, Charles L.
Littwin, Victor A.
Livasy, Harold H.
Long, John A.
Lundy, William L.
Mascher, Andrew A.
McMann, John P.
Mitchell, Burt L.
Noonan, William F.
Phillips, Richard S.
Randall, Albert A.
Randall, Walter K.
Rhoades, Charles L.
Schutt, Willard L.
Scott, C. A.
Smith, William L
Street, C. E.
Theberge, Wilfred J.
Thompson, R. G.
West, John B. ^

Wagoners

Crowley, Daniel E.

Ferguson, Dawn J.

Field, James A.

Goldthwaite, Fred E.

Mueller, Henry E.
Cooks

Bowers, Joseph E.

Collins, Joseph

McGuire, James

Millen, Edward R. ^

Munneke, Jack

Ritter, Willard E.

Schueler, Albert P.
Buglers

Bernock, Edward J.

Lind, Carl E.
Privates First Class

Amond, Edward T.

Auble, Frank J.

Ausmus, Joe O.

Berekel, Charles J.

Berger, Carl E. V.

Bolander, David D.

Bunnell, Harry C.

Carr, Alvin

Conn, Ralph W.

Conway, Edward F.

Cunningham, Peter E.

Dear, Richard D.

Dearborn, A. G.

Devenport, Fred S.

Dunton, Samuel J.

Erickson, Carl

Florin, Andrew

Fullerton, F. W.

Garis, Walter L.

28o

APPENDIX

Gaspard, Emile A.
Gilman, Arthur F.
Hagedorn, Walter E.
Hand, Thomas
Hastings, John E. •
Holte, Oscar R.
Ingenthron, Jake P.
Jensen, Hans P.
Jones, Harry P.
Jones, Howard L.
King, Albert E.
Lehman, Harry L.
Lindholm, John E.
Mannette, John M.
May, Darwin R.
Mcintosh, James D.
McNinch, William C.
Menzies, Harry J.
O'Brien, J. P.
Pierce, Leslie A.
Rucker, Warren H.
Silverthorn, Maurice J.
Soliday, Bert H.
White, Douglas
Yablonowski, Walter
Privates

Alcorn, Ernest S.
Anderson, Andrew, Jr.
Anderson, Leo E.
Anthonisen, Raymond P.
Appleton, Louis
Auld, John F.
Babcock, Harold W.
Barnell, Carl
Bella, Andrew J.
Bellamy, Howard

Bethke, Chester C. A.
Bird, Joseph H.
Blanchard, William A.
Blankenbeckler, Perry
Booth, Harold W.
Bourne, John W.
Bradley, Yonel G.
Brandstetter, William
Branyan, Clarence G.
Brown, Alfred J.
Brown, Thomas
Brown, Walter S.
Brumbaugh, L. T.
Brunzell, Harry J.
Burke, Albert H.
Burke, Harold C.
Butler, Mathew C.
Butler, Noah
Carroll, Douglas
Chernoflf, Aaron S.
Chewning, Harry M.
Cimmino, Philip
Cloud, James C.
Cole, Jake Z.
Collins, William H.
Cotton, Richard W.
Cowan, John
Cox, Frank P.
Crane, Walter E.
Creakbaum, Willis
Cribbs, George
Crowe, Raymond J.
Davis, Cecil J.
DeFanti, Lino
DeGraaf , Tice
DiCrosta, Silvio

APPENDIX

281

Dodge, Edmund W.
Donaldson, Leroy L.
Douglas, Herman A.
Drummond, Donald
Dumke, Hobart R.
Durkin, Martin
Ebling, Clyde S.
Ehlang, Leonard
Ellis, George E.
Emery, Perley
Emerson, Harry R.
Endress, Clarence
Engholm, Julius E.
Eshbaugh, James M.
Ezell, Luther E.
Farrell, George
Farrell, Leo P.*
Ferguson, Arthur
Finnell, Herney N.
Fittro, Claude R.
Forge, Louis
Friedman, Robert H.
Gardner, Elmer H.
Garcia, Rafael
Gargan, John P.
Garrison, Arthur E.
Garvey, John
Gellock, Robert P.
Goff, Horace P.
Golden, Edward
Gordon, Paul
Gregg, Norman W.
Grochowalski, Stanley
Hagensen, Oxcel F.
Hayward, Wardner J.

Heeger, Joseph C.
Heitzman, Warren S.
Herbel, Frank A.
Herbert, Albert L.
Hibbard, Fred L.
Hicks, Albert B.
Hilbert, Roy J.
Hill, Lawrence L.
Hocking, William
Hoff, Harry J.
Hollinger, Albert L.
Horton, William W.
Howard, Charles O.
Hoyt, Frank B.
Hunter, Lawrence L.
Johnson, Harold W.
Johnson, P. J.
Jones, Chesley
Jones, Thomas W.
Julian, Leo E.
Keating, George J.
Kirkman, M. R.
Kottlowsky, Frederick E.
Landen, Floyd W.
Lange, Chester A.
Larson, Harry
Lesman, Antoni
Letkeviez, John
Linville, Elijah H.
Livingston, L. H.
Lowenthall, Charles R.
Lowther, John M.
Lumley, John W.
Lumpkin, Stranghan N.
Maio, Antonio
Deceased.

282

APPENDIX

Majar, James "
Mckinney, James E.
Manvell, Bill
Markovich, Peter
Martin, John E.
Mauger, Winfield S.
McGinnis, Charles A.
Mcintosh, Fred
McLennan, Claud D.
Mills, Lloyd U.
Mitchell, John A.
Moody, George C.
Moore, David C. .
Morin, Roy F.
Murphy, Patrick
Naile, Ralph B.
Nelson, Samuel L.
Nelson, William P. '
Newberry, James E.
O'Donnell, Manus
Olejniczak, Leonard
Oliver, William H.
Orth, Herbert P.
Palmer, Harry A.
Parry, William V.
Paul, William D.
Perkins, Thomas L.
Polansky, Joseph F.
Polansky, Nicholas J.
Porter, Thomas H.
Pownall, George F.
Prendergast, James H.
Prescott, Carl
Raser, James O.
Reitz, Arthur E.
Remick, Henry L.

Rudkin, Charles N.
Ruth, Harry F.
Rybicki, Joseph
Sanborn, Frank B.
Sarrecchia, Salvatore
Schulze, Alfred
Scott, N. D.
Sedler, Clem C.
Sever, George P.
Sheehan, Timothy H.
Shepard, Vivian C.
Shoemaker, Byrl R.
Singer, Albert A.
Smith, Carl E.
Smith, Carl G.
Smith, Edward M.
Snell, David B.
Stoffel, E. H.
Tiffany, Albert M.
Tolson, Robert
Trodick, Harry G.
Tripp, Percy E.
Van Loghem, Stanley
Verner, Morris S., Jr.
Vigil, Estanislav
Vossenberg, Girardus
Wardlaw, Emile T.
Welch, Joseph J.
Weis, Roy J.
Wickham, Maurice G.
White, Ellis E.
Williams, John F.
Wilowski, Bronislaw
Wilson, Carl H.
Wilson, William C.
Winston, John A.

APPENDIX

283

Wood, Junius E.
Woodberry, Neil O.
Wortman, Martin S.

Young, Orel E.
Zaladonis, Anthony J.
Zoeller, Elmer H.^

SECOND BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
DETACHMENT

Master Engineer Senior
Grade

Killelea, Harry S.
Master Engineers Junior
Grade

Blum, Harold P.

Lomuller, Victor C.

Raymond, Clinton D.

Wheeler, H. T.
Battalion Sergeant- Major

Matteson, Herbert S.
Battalion Supply Sergeant

Maxwell, John B.
Sergeants First Class

Johnson, Charles G.

Van Gorden, Alvin M.
Sergeants

Herbst, George E.

Wilson, Harold E.
Corporals

Hunsacker, Jesse A

Pray, Glenn C.
Wagoners

Bonner, James T.

Draper, Leon T. ^
Cooks

Compton, Floyd E.

Monahan, Joseph

Mechanics

Sullivan, John L.

Whaley, Jesse M.

Wroan, John L.
Privates First Class

Dow, Donald B.

Entenmann, John

Kaffke, Caspar

Mansur, Norman C.

Metcalf, Charles B.

Phelipow, William

Quayle, George F.

Quinn, Herman M.
Privates

Baker, James

Bjornstadt, Benedict M.

Caulton, Rolin

Civelett, Joseph A.

Cohen, Maurice

Crowell, E. L.

DeFreece, Paul R.

Dunn, Henry S.

Frear, Clyde L.

Fristoe, John L.

Hodder, William

Wellington, John C.

Westerberg, Carl C.

» Deceased.

284

APPENDIX

COMPANY D

First Sergeant

Molter, Henry C.
Sergeants First Class

Blagg, Henry W.

Dean, John S.

Jacobson, Simon

Machinska, John

Tucker, Lee E.

Woods, Harry M.
Mess Sergeant

Burlingham, Vernon E.
Supply Sergeant

Nawn, James W.
Sergeants

Aldridge, Howard H.

Henry, Lloyd E.

Humphrey, Edward

Lentz, Clarence J.

Miller, Edward H.

Rubino, A.

Sharp, Maurice L.

Sheldahl, Louis R.

Shirley, Charles J.

Sutton, Fred A.

Tallant, William J.
Corporals

Anderson, Arthur W.

Ashburne, Ray L.

Baker, Walter L.

Bowman, Elmer

Daniel, Jay V.

Finch, William M.

Galloudec, Yves

Hale, Donald

Hall, William H.

Hansen, Waldemar C.

Harris, Amos N.

Haviland, Stephen A.

Hoehn, Alfred N.

Hurni, Louis E.

Ice, Francis W.

Jacobs, Joseph

Kraach, Fritz W.

Labov, Benjamin

Lane, R. J. G.^

Martin, Herbert B.*

McGarvey, Owen

Muir, John D.

Noel, Arthur

Nott, Ciba

Pauly, Herman A.

Preisach, Charles A.

Rand, Miram E.

Shevlin, James H.

Smith, Lawrence B.

Stafford, Harry R.

Stauffer, Edwin S.

Steevens, Charles A.

Tlustos, James L.

Van Schoick, Elmer

Westlund, Ferdinand

Williams, A. N.

Williams, John A.

Wood, Donald T.
Horseshoer -,

Yancey, William P.
Wagoners

Agnew, E. L.
Deceased.

APPENDIX

285

Friest, Edward A.

Kramer, Clarence E.

Long, Gregory D.

Mendoza, T. P.

Wheeler, L. H.

Whitney, Wilber E.

Wildenstein, Hurley D.
Cooks

Foley, Joseph

Forbes, Earl S.

Goff, Chauncey

Guilfoyle, Fintan J.

Holton, Albert L.

McKechnie, Donald

Upham, Harry L.
Buglers

Adams, C. E.

Tilley, William B.

Wehrle, Elmer W.
Privates First Class

Archer, C. W.

Ashby, Joseph

Bell, Clifton

Bell, George N.

Betts, Thomas R.

Bibb, Carlisle H.

Biers, C. W.

Boell, Oscar E.

Brodeur, L. P.

Bronson, C. L.

Bronson, Harry E.

Burkhart, W. F.

Coughlin, Fred L.

Grossman, James D.

Drout, William

English, Joe W.

Fitzgerald, John P.
Gearing, William A.
Gibbs, Joseph H.
Gilman, L.
Gonzales, Richard P.
Haines, Henry C.
Hernandez, M.
Hill, Herbert G.
Hilliard, Christian J.
Hinger, C. S.
Hughes, Charles H.
Jacobson, George
James, Ross M.
Johnson, George J.^
Kern, J. A.
Ketchum, Donald E.
Key, Wadie E.
Kirk, Frederick
Kirsch, William R.
Knapp, Robert C.
Lentz, William J.
Lingroth, Peter L.
Marshall, Charles E.
Marshall, Fred A.
Martin, Marion G.
McGuire, Peter J.
Mitchell, Paul J.
Morgan, Herbert A.
Murchison, John W.
Murphy, Sidney V. B.
Neal, George R.
Ninneman, Arthur H.
Pils, Charles
Prendergast, J. B.
Prindle, Ray
Pucilowski, Alex

286

APPENDIX

Purvis, George M. ji*
Quereno, Egnasio ;
Racette, Eugene G.
Reed, Roland C.
Robbins, Donald E.
Roberts, Edward
Rockwell, Merwin
Rognlie, Fred
Schubert, Charles E.
Scoville, Harold D.
Shirley, Clifford
Smith, E. E.
Spieglemire, William L.
Stadelman, Henry
Swan, S. D,
Swartz, Tony
Thielhard, Albert
Thornburg, Frank B.
Wamsley, Albert L.
Weaver, Erwin B.
Webb, Finley G.
Weiss, Sam G.
Wilfon, Frank C.
Yeaton, Geoffrey D.
Privates
Allen, John A.
Axelroud, M. A.
Baird, Frank
Barber, Richard A.
Barker, Glenn C.
Barraby, Harold V.
Barrett, L. R.
Berridge, Howard
Bishop, E. S.
Blair, Lester R.
Blocher, Elmer

Bloxon, Leon R.
Bocook, Isaac
Boddy, Stanley
Brand, Charles H.
Brennan, James
Brindle, Edward J.
Brown, H. J.
Bull, H. S.
Burgess, Eugene
Butler, Jay V.
Chester, George H.
Clifton, John
Cole, Frank
Coleman, Lonnie B.
Corcoran, Michael F.
Coyne, Patrick J.
Crampsey, Joseph
Dagiani, C. Mille
Dalgaard, Grover
DeAngelis, Louis
Delisle, Louis .'
Dignord, George \
Doud, Bernard J. '
Doyle, Eugene F.
Dudley, Grover C.
Dunn, Joseph R. .j
Duran, Gavino
Dwyer, Lawrence A.
Ellis, James R.
Ellison, Carl A.
Fettig, George
Forayt, Jaroslav
Frost, Sam G.
Gagnon, G.
Gannon, R. H.
Gans, Joseph O.*
Deceased.

APPENDIX

287

Gorgenschlitz, John J.
Gould, B. F.
Graham, Joseph B.
Greenberg, Harry A.
Griffin, T. R.i
Hager, Martin C.
Hahn, Jay N.
Halton, R. J. G.
Harris, Virgil A.
Harrison, Frank, Jr.
Hartman ^
Harvey, John
Hayes, Lester C.
Herna, Anton A.
Hogenberg, Robert F.
Hoyt, Charles
Hughes, Julian M.
Hyatt, Charles S.
Irens, Fred W.
Johnson, F. E.
Jones, Tonie L.
Keen, Charles Y.
Kemmeter, Leon F,
Kent, Lloyd S.
Koethe, Fred
Kruttschnitt, Edmund
Landy, John J.
Laroche, William
Lawler, F. E.
Lenihan, M. E.
Levine, Abraham
Ludwig, Mathias A.
Lundquist, Albert E.
Mack, Albert N.
Mahoney, Dennis A.

Markley, Samuel V.
Maslosky, John
Mathias, Rolandus S.
Mattson, G. A.
Maturin, Martin E.
Mayhew, E. A.
McBride, Arthur J.
McCain, Henry J.
McCann, John J.
McCorkle, Sidney L.
Mclntire, Thomas F.
McKee, Dougall F.
McLaughlin, E. F.
Medaris, William R.
Mendel, Michael
Miner, Rafael
Mitchell, R. J.^
Moore, Thomas T.
Murphy, Thomas G.
Murray, Michael
Neeb, Stewart W.
Nelson, J. P.
Newberry, James E.
Nilles, Anthony J.
Pennuala, A, J.
Perkins, Russell P.
Perry, Frank
Phillips, H. B.
Piccardo, Francis S.
Praino, Henry E. R.
Ragishowski, William
Reeves, Paul F.
Riley, Walter A., Jr.
Ross, Vern R.
Rousseau, Joseph R.
Deceased.

288

APPENDIX

Rumley, Charles C.
Sadler, Frank
Schroedel, John
Shea, Joseph
Shields, Bert W.i
Simonowich, John
Skinner, Horace R.
Smith, M. E.
Snuffin, James E.
Soucie, Willford F.
Splittstosher, Robert
Stanton, Walter A.
Stauck, A. G.
Strange, Edwin B.
Swanstrom, Clarence E.
Tank, R. L.
Temple, John J.
Theiler, Louis
Thomas, Guy I.
Thompson, George M.
Thorpe, William R.
Tilley, Basil G.
Todd, Phillip
Touw, Bernard
Townsend, Cecil P.
Trossman, Joseph H.

Truman, Charles
Van Arnam, Elmer
Van Camp, Lloyd R.
Van Gissen, Leo
Van Noy, William R.
Vogel, Clifton D.
Wandless, Robert
Wate, Wessley J. .
Wazecha, John
Wedow, George J. ■
Weisman, Alva J.
Wendt, William F.
West, Dick
Westbrook, N. S. ,
Whisler, Percy E. '
White, Arvid ■.
Whiteley, R. G.i
Whiting, Earl G.
Widner, Percey E.
Wilkins, Virgil E.
Williams, Hannibal
Williams, John F.
Williams, Morgan J.
Womack, Kenneth
Young, Jay A.

COMPANY E

Master Engineers Senior
Grade
Allan, Arthur C.
Henry, Duncan C.
Hughes, Jennings P.
Kent, Victor H.
Palackey, Frank P.
Test, Clarence R.

Tieman, Arnold W. -
Tuttle, Mearl J.
Master Engineers Junior
Grade
Collier, Edward C.
Herza, Frederick W.
Langer, William L.
Lusk, Thomas S.
Deceased.

APPENDIX

289

McDade, Edward B.

Rick, Forest S.

Torrey, Prescott H.

VVeldy, Daniel W.
First Sergeant

Heagney, William T.
Sergeant First Class

Taylor, Thomas D.
Sergeants

Casey, John F.

Grain, Hersey N.

Curtis, Ray E.

Davis, Clarence G.

Flores, Frank A.

Gamier, James J.

Gilmore, Clayton

Gray, Charles P.

Haller, Edward J.

Hansen, Finer A.

Lively, Carlos A.

Mclntyre, Robert A.

McMillan, Harvey C.

Miller, Louis P.

O'Neil, James

Peck, John H.

Ryg, Clarence N.

Shuckero, Frederick J.

Sivard, Dean V.

Spriggs, Herbert S.

Taylor, George W.

Tuttle, George W.

Wenzel, Rudolph A.
Corporals

Anthony, Richard L.

Bandurraga, Thomas M.

Barker, James F.

Brittain, Herbert
Coe, Foster W.
Day, Robin D.
Dowd, Patrick
Erskine, Ralph M.
Fisher, Jack C.
Giffin, Warley
Hamilton, Amos
Hanneman, Joseph J.
Harmon, Forest B.
Johnston, R. A.
Lindsay, John O.
Logan, Roy J.
McMahon, Earl E.
MacMullin, Robert B.
Markle, Robert E.
McLaughlin, James F.
McManus, George F.
McManus, James F.
Meyerowitz, Leo
Morrison, Frederick
Murray, John J.
Neighbours, Ray E.
Peteffi, Oliver L.
Peterson, Clarence R.
Pratt, Charles H.
Quamon, Lenord J.
Reichard, Albert H.
Schell, Jacob D.
Shanks, Robert G.
Spayde, James L,
Sprick, Henry C.
Williams, William C.
Wilson, Fred J.
Zangger, Karl

290

APPENDIX

Wagoners

Baumgartner, Herman F.

Stone, Harry G.

Thorp, Joseph V.

Winger, Harold M.
Cooks

Collins, Joseph

Flannery, Stephen A.

Keating, John T.

Long, Elmer

Messmer, Charles

Taggart, Frank

Youngberg, Gustave A.
Bugler

Watkins, John
Privates First Class

Arndt, Ralph M.

Billings, Hezekiah

Bingham, Carleton R.

Blair, Lester D.

Brassaemle, Robert M.

Brown, Jesse

Brown, Lloyd L.

Cheek, Ben R.

Clifford, Carl R.

Conn, Asahel E.

Corbett, William L.

Cottingham, William H.

Crotshin, Frank

Domler, Clifford H.

Donley, Homer A.

Dyker, Gordon S.

Edmonds, Edward M.

Erskine, George R.

Fitzgerald, Leo G.

Fletcher, Forrest E.

Fletcher, Harold R.
Gilbertson, Charles E.
Gooch, William G.
Gourdin, Theodor T.
Gray, Leslie
Gries, Frank F.
Halk, Nathan B.
Hancock, James
Haught, Albert B.
Home, Thomas L.
Hughes, Patrick R.
Hurley, John W.
Hyatt, Roland
Kenney, Raymond
Kerns, Edward J.
Kommer, Harry Z.
Lindsay, Frederick
Llewellyn, Richard, Jr.
Lorigan, John F.
MacNamara, Leo W.
Marks, Albert
Martin, Ira A.
Matheny, William G.
Merlone, Eugene
Miller, John G.
Miller, Earl
Miller, Paul W.
Morse, Floyd L
Mowery, Lawrence A.
Noel, Prosper L.
O'Brien, Howard C.
O'Neil, John F.
Orrison, Arthur N.
Patterson, James T.
Penick, Ercil V.
Phipps, Frank H.

APPENDIX

291

Powers, Elmer J.
Reyman, Charles W.
Reynolds, Thomas J.
Rothbeger, George J.
Rowlands, Emrys
Rude, Velde R.
Rudy, Aaron H.
Sander, Jacob D. •
Sieling, Edward H.
Soucey, Wayne E.
Sterner, Floyd W.
Stevens, Carl J.
Stewart, John E.
Stockman, Edward J.
Stockton, Bernard C.
Straub, Albert J.
Taylor, Russell I.
Tetman, Walter L.
Timberlake, Robert L.
Tisdale, George W.
Wachter, John J.
Wagner, William J.
Walter, John C.
Ward, Louis A.
Wilson, William E.
Privates

Adams, Clyde
Adams, Howard H.
Ahl, Leslie O.
Alterici, Louis
Archer, Arthur W.
Atkins, Clarence G.
Baines, A. S.
Baker, Nolan W.
Barbarian, Miklran
Barchanowicz, Charles

Bever, Charles F.
Blackwell, LeRoy
Boccuzzi, Joseph J.
Brackens, Clarence H.
Brant, Lloyd
Brickey, Merle O.
Brightman, James H.
Burton, Samuel
Campbell, Carrington
Caroselli, Don
Castor, S. B.
Chichilos, T.
Coen, Van Henry
Corteal, Frank
Crawford, Newton W.
Dalirymple, Clifford B.
Diemer, Otto A.
Dimick, E. A.
Dloughy, John C.
Dobish, John J.
Doughty, George F.
Dunn, Arthur F.
Durea, Edward R.
Eden, Paul
Ellis, Stanley H.
Elsey, Robert E.
Farr, Eddie D.
Finelli, Dominico
Fischer, John W.
Fite, William A.
Freyberger, Herman M.
Frost, Elmer J.
Fuhrman, Paul C.
Gill, Allen G.
Gregg, Orlando R.
Griggsby, Jarret ,

292

APPENDIX

Hall, Albert L.
Hall, Frank C.
Hancock, Joseph R.
Harberson, William H.
Heller, Richard D.
Henry, Murray G.
Hoover, Charles
Howard, Benjamin E.
Hurdle, H.
Jacobs, Claude E.
Jenkinson, Roy A.
Kaufman, Marshall F.
Keith, Herbert A.
Kepler, Edward L.
Ketzler, Cecil L.
Kirschner, Erhart
Kozlowski, Stanley
Kroog, Aaron
Lalone, Ralph
Lanehart, Walter M.
LeClair, Leo
Legge, Henry W.
Levison, Aaron
Logan, Frank F.
Luke, Cecil L.
Lynch, Edward J.
Lytton, Amos H.
Maeding, Jack ^
Maksimowicz, John
Malecki, Frank J.
Manchester, William G.
Manette, John M.
Marx, Nicholas, Jr.
Mayne, R. N.^
McAndeliss, Frank A.

McCartney, L. E.
McKay, John
McLaughlin, Edward F.
McNamara, John D.
Mohn, Newton C.
Moschgat, Emil C.
Moynier, Louis
Murphy, James A.
Myrtle, George H.
Nardiello, Manuel V.
O'Neil, Roland
Owen, Arthur G.
Paine, Clyde O.
Palen, Howard J.
Parry, William V.
Pennington, Yates
Pruette, Otto P.
Rainey, Maurice •
Reed, Wilmer L.
Reime, Frederick R.
Romyer, John M.
Ruikka, Julius A.
Rusiski, William
Rust, Marvin C.
Salerno, Giusippe
Schultz, Albert C.
Shiflet, G. A.
Smith, Dan
Smith, Merwin H.
Spasiano, Augustino
Stith, Albert R.
Stonehouse, George G.
Sweet, Edward R.
Tennant, Walter J.
Thompson, Albert
Deceased.

APPENDIX

293

Tieman, Harold
Tucker, Floyd S.
Wagnackouski, Anthony A.
Waldo, Ralph E.
Walters, Frank J.
Wegis, Anthony
Wehausen, Henry

Welch, Lee H.
Wells, Archie
White, Peter E.
Williams, John
Williams, Vernon B.
Wimer, John H.
Wood, Allen

COMPANY F

Master Engineers Senior
Grade

Andrews, Jewett F.

Gerland, William

Lisby, Clarence

Merrell, Dwight L.

Richmond, Loren
Master Engineers Junior
Grade

Hobson, Lester F.

Moore, Hale E.
First Sergeant

Schmidt, Walter A.
Sergeant First Class

Kivlighan, John J.
Sergeants

Breneman, Ellis W.

Brown, Howard C.

Chapman, Charles L.

Dalton, Jack E.

Draper, James D.

Grimes, Frank

Harding, William

Hepp, Walter F.

Hiller, Arthur G.

Johnson, Joseph M.

Pruitt, John P.

Siegrist, Alfonse F.
Spiers, Charles M.
Thorson, John N.
Volkerding, Herman A.
Walters, William T.
Corporals

Belonger, Oliver L
Bertrand, David G.
Bonnett, Robert C.
Byrne, James A.
Carroll, Lewis W.
Cole, Newell L.
Cortilet, Bart A.
Coyle, Albert
Dakin, Hursey A.
Goettsh, Carl E.
Hamilton, James
Hanson, Carl M.
Holmberg, Alfred C.
Hook, Irving O.
Jackson, William R.
Jarvis, Walter T.
Kelnberger, Fred J.
Kreminski, Walter E.
Lampmann, Bryon
Levins, Edward A.
McNamara, James R.

294

APPENDIX

Mills, Hobart A. '

Mitchell, Joseph F.

Morton, Paul H.

Nelson, Guy A.

Nessner, Frank J.

Peterson, Ben L.

Simonson, Sigurd

Smith, Samuel J.

Teegarden, Arthur G.

Willett, George L.
Wagoners

Bauer, Frank C.

Bray, Henry J.

Klapproth, William

Mansicka, Carl J.

Rohm, Wesley W.
Cooks

Hood, Howard

Howell, Frank L.

LePage, Clarence

Nicholson, Adolf *

O'Brien, Mack G.

Schnider, Edward J.
Buglers

Melton, Elmo

Myers, Walter

Tseu, Joseph Y.
Privates First Class

Anderson, E. H.^

Apodaca, Primitivo R.

Baker, Eugene C.

Bastar, Richard G.

Bell, George

Bennett, John R.

Breitfuss, John H.

1 Deceased.

Burford, Oscar O.
Campion, Hubert W.
Compton, Bradford S.
Dwyer, Peter J.
Edwards, Roy M.
Ford, Charles W.
Foye, Edward R. ?
Gibson, Herman I.
Giddings, Glenn M.
Hackmeier, Julius F.
Hallier, Berne G.
Hansen H.^
Hover, George A.
Hover, John H.
Kaempher, Leonard C.
Kerr, Charles W.
Lawrence, Parnell B.
Lightfoot, George W.
Logeman, Robert J.
Mace, James C.
Madsen, John
McCabe, Alfred B.
Murphy, Walter
Newton, Robert N., Jr»
Phillips, Harry L.
Scott, Edward G.
Smith, Bert H.
Smith, Elta B.
Squire, Louis E.
Tansor, Elmer C.
Taylor, George
Unger, Paul E.
Vincent, Roe J.
Walker, Harold P.
Walrath, Leslie H.

APPENDIX

295

Ward, Harold H.
Watson, Richard F.
Wilson, Ivan C.
Wood, Arthur P.
Woodward, Clifton L.
Privates

Abrams, William
Amendola, Joseph S.
Anderson, Carl B.
Anderson, Clarence M.
Arena, Antonio
Baker, Charles M.
Baker, Ralph W.
Barklam, William J.
Baum, Jacob
Beavers, George
Bentley, Roy
Berg, David G.
Berglund, Oscar S.
Berndt, Frank H.
Bighouse, Adam E.
Birdwell, Earnest
Bjelland, Oscar
Bloomquist, George
Bollman, Bolish
Bollman, Carl G.
Bourke, Harold C.
Boyce, Ford L.
Boyd, George C.
Boysel, Alva C.
Branson, Marlin W.
Brazda, Adolph E.
Brown, Benjamin
Brcwnfield, Berry M.
Bull, Herbert S.
Burloff, Peno

Butler, Ray E.
Butler, William F.
Cameron, Jenks
Carlson, Martin G,
Cobb, Oscar
Cossick, Frank
Covert, Edward E.
Criswell, Thomas G.
Cunningham, Raymond
Davis, John L.
Deetz, Martin W.
Drechsel, George
Droszkowski, Frank J.
Duncan, Jessie
Dybala, Thomas J.
Engelking, Conrad H.
Engstrom, Iver
Eves, Lester
Fauerby, Henrick
Ferrand, Carroll E.
Fitzgerald, John L.
Flato, Frederick W.
Fudge, Bennie A.
Gaich, Paul A.
Gamble, Robert H.
Giffins, Walter
Gray, William
Guldberg, Reuben V.
Hagen, Otto
Hammel, Robert W.
Hicks, Monroe W.
Hodges, Otis V.
Holder, Glenn U.
Hooper, Ruel O.
Hukill, James A.
Hussey, Albert E.

296

APPENDIX

Ignatus, Frank
Irr, Harold J.
Jacoby, Benjamin F.
Jacquith, Clarence E.
Jensen, Jens C.
Jessie, John C.
Kane, George S.
Karr, John
Kelley, Edward
Kennedy, Dan
Knighton, Wilbur J.
Kohls, Emil
Kravec, John
Krebiehl, George
Leger, Amos E.
Lilquist, Alfred C.
Logue, John R.
Lutz, William W.
Malice, Abraham
Malm, Martin
Marks, Louis P.
Mauck, Henry
Mayer, John G.
McArthur, Harvey W.
McCoy, Goebel
Mely, A. C.^
Miley, George W.
Miller, Frank
Mills, Jessie D.
Moberg, Carl G.
Moorehead, Robert J.
Moran, Martin
Morgan, Walter
Mueller, Joseph G.
Nelson, Albert T.

Nelson, C. F. M.
Olson, Lewis
Overby, Emil A.
Paiz, Pedro
Parks, James E.
Peacock, William F.
Pesek, Anton
Peterson, Fred J.
Phillippi, Henry J.
Ragan, Harry
Sandusky, Barney
Sherar, Charles H.
Sherman, John A.
Skelton, Marion C.
Smith, Elrod M.
Smith, James
Specht, Riley V.
Swanson, Edward J.
Swanstrom, Arthur R.
Swesey, Edward L.
Swinenski, Balesta
Taylor, Willie E.
Thompson, Charlie D.
Thompson, Henry G.
Thompson, Rex A.
Trenton, French
Tribble, John H.
Tyson, Harry
Vedova, Anthony D.
Walgren, Paul L.
Wandrei, Edward
Watson, Clifford H.
Wentworth, William
Wernsing, Benjamin
Western, G. H.i
* Deceased.

APPENDIX

297

Wilbur, William 0.
Wilson, James F.
Wilson, Mizra J.

MEDICAL
Sergeant First Class

Stadelman, Oscar L.
Sergeants

Coles, John H.

Dollaway, Floyd A.

Rowlands, Hugh C.

Van Horn, Burt E.
Corporals

Hutchinson, William C.

Slusser, Benjamin H.
Wagoner

Jones, Evan
Privates First Class

Ballard, Carl B.

Barker, Claude A.

Bradley, James L.

Brown, Lee C.

Buckingham, Walter R.

Caldwell, Fred W.

Clark, Elmer L.

Fischer, William F.

Green, Elmer R.

HIggs, Herman C.

Jennings, Joe L.

Wold, Jens -
Wood, William B.

DETACHMENT

Jones, Bryan E.
Kappel, John
Lajeunesse, Ernest N.
McCloud, William
Mero, Joseph K.
Stephenson, Jesse F.
Storey, Raymond F.
Timmerman, Henry C.
Verner, Clarence S.
Privates

Baker, John D.
Benson, Andrew A.
Craig, William
DeSantis, Tony
Driscoll, William J.
Geagon, John J.^
Greene, Howard B.
Hogan, John L.
Jordon, Thomas
Orr, Howard W.
Palen, Howard J.
Prime, Charles L. C.
Reese, Emmett G.

THE BAND

(These names occur also in the units to which the men were

regularly assigned.)

Sgt. Brant, W. B., Bandmaster

Sgt. McPherson, D. L., Drum Major

> Deceased.

298 APPENDIX

Sgt. Herbst, G. E., Asst. Bandmaster

Pvt. I cl. Metcalfe, C. B., Clarinet Soloist

Pvt. Kirkwood J., Piccolo

Pvt. Straub, J. G., Clarinet

Pvt. Adams, C. E., Clarinet

Corp. Nay, 0. E., Clarinet

Pvt. Bjornstadt, B. M., Soprano Saxophone

Pvt. Spitzer, E. A., Alto Saxophone

Pvt. Frear, C. L., Alto Saxophone

Pvt. Westerberg, C. G., Tenor Saxophone

Pvt. Civelett, J. A., Cornet

Pvt. Robinson, A. C, Cornet

Pvt. White, C, Cornet

Pvt. Thomas, H,, Cornet

Sgt. MacDonald, H., Cornet

Pvt. Cohen, M., Alto

Pvt. Stebbins, R. L., Alto

Pvt. I cl. Dow, D. B., Alto

Pvt. I cl. Quayle, G. P., Alto

Pvt. Dunn, H. S., Trombone

Pvt. Wilson, E. H., Trombone

Corp. Shanks, R. G., Trombone

Pvt. Johnson, Glenn E., Trombone

Pvt. Thelen, G. A., Baritone

Pvt. DeFreece, P. R., Bass

Pvt. Williams, R. G., Bass

Pvt. I cl. Lajeunesse, E. N., Snare Drum

Pvt. Wellington, J. C, Snare Drum

Pvt. Hodder, William, Cymbal

Pvt. Caulton, R., Bass Drum

4. Commissioned Personnel of Third and Fourth Bat-
talions ^ on October 24, 1918.

^ See Chapter X.

APPENDIX

299

THIRD BATTALION
Major C. P. Wood Commanding Officer

Captain W. V. Warren Adjutant

2nd Lieut. R. M. Willis Supply Officer

1st Lieut. R. B. Wilkins Medical Officer

1st Lieut. D. M. Fellows Dental Surgeon

COMPANY G
Captain A. C. Day Commanding

1st Lieut. F. J. Swanson
2nd Lieut. J. L. Godley
2nd Lieut. M. S. Cain
2nd Lieut. J. V. Duncan
2nd Lieut. C. A. Stader
2nd Lieut. W. C. Marshall
2nd Lieut. E. S. Truesdell, Jr.
2nd Lieut. W. Vandergrift Attached

COMPANY H

Captain George Noble
2nd Lieut. R. R. Rohrbach
2nd Lieut. R. E. Myer
2nd Lieut. T. A. Silvera
2nd Lieut. W. Bishop
2nd Lieut. R. A. Price
2nd Lieut. A. C. Mallett
2nd Lieut. S. G. Denny
2nd Lieut. E. Hunter

Commanding

2nd Lieut. C. Smith

2nd Lieut. H. W. Hallman

Attached
Attached

COMPANY
Captain L. C. Donovan
1st Lieut. F. Adair
2nd Lieut. F. L. Shelley

I
Commanding

300 APPENDIX

2nd Lieut. H. E. Tardy ^
2nd Lieut. H. N. McCooI
2nd Lieut. G. R. Acree
2nd Lieut. J. A. Barton
2nd Lieut. J. H. Knight
2nd Lieut. W. C. Lane

FOURTH BATTALION
Captain H. Malinka Commanding Officer

Captain F. W. Dasher, Adjutant

1st Lieut. D. M. Clark Supply Officer

1st Lieut. J. Notley Medical Officer

1st Lieut. W. C. Wickstrom Dental Surgeon

COMPANY K
Captain B. M. Grant Commanding

1st Lieut. H. S. O'Brien
2nd Lieut. C. L. Patterson
2nd Lieut. F. K. Carter
2nd Lieut. J. F. Black
2nd Lieut. G. A. Stanton
2nd Lieut. B. H. Questel
2nd Lieut. H, Burns
2nd Lieut. J. H. Meek

COMPANY L
Captain H. W. Favre Commanding

1st Lieut. Gannon
2nd Lieut. F. Carrico
2nd Lieut. H. Stribler
2nd Lieut. W. E. Toles
2nd Lieut. R. G. Strehlow,
2nd Lieut. F. E. McWilliams
2nd Lieut. P. A. Bloise

Fj

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APPENDIX

301

COMPANY M
Captain E. M. Blanchard Commanding

1st Lieut. R. Berry
2nd Lieut. G. G. Potter
2nd Lieut. V. P. Baker
2nd Lieut. H. E. Van Wle
2nd Lieut. N. N. BoUman
2nd Lieut. H. Spencer
2nd Lieut. H. S. Callaway
2nd Lieut. T. A. Sewell
and Lieut. G. C. Wells Attached

List of Officers of Third and Fourth Battalions,
with their ranks.

Acree, Clarence
Adair, Francis
Baker, Vernon P. )
Barton, John A.
Berry, Romeyn
Bishop, William
Black, John Franklin
Blanchard, Edward B.
Bloise, Peter A.
Bollman, Noah N,
Burns, Harold
Cain, Martin J.
Callaway, Herbert S.
Carrico, Frank G.
Carter, Fred K.
Clark, David McKenzie
Dasher, Francis W.
Day, Alfred C.
Denny, Samuel G.
Donovan, Lawrence

Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Captain

Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Captain
Captain

Second Lieutenant
Captain

302

APPENDIX

Duncan, Joseph B.
Favre, Harry W.
Fellows, David M.
Gannon

Godley, John L.
Grant, Bryan M.
Hallman, Herbert W.
Hunter, Edwin H.
Kidder, Samuel T.
Knight, John J.
Lane, Wallace C.
McCool, Herman M.
McMillan, Archibald L.
McWilliams, David E.
Malinka, Henry
Mallett, Alfred C.
Marshall, Walter C.
Meek, James H.
Myer, Richard E.
Noble, George
Notley, J.

O'Brien, Humphrey S.
Patterson, Clarence L,
Potter, Charles G.
Price, Russell A.
Questel, Benjamin H.
Rohrbach, Richard R.
Sewell, Thomas A.
Shelley, Franklin L.
Silvera, Theodore A.
Smith, Clyde
Spencer, Harvey
Stanton, Charles A.
Strehlow, Robert C.
Stribler, Harry
Studer, Carlton A.

Second Lieutenant
Captain

First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Captain

Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Captain

Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
^ Captain
I First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant

APPENDIX

303

Swanson, Frederick J.
Tardy, Harold E.
Tolas, William E.
Truesdell, Edwin S.
Van VVie, Henry E.
Vandergrift, William
Warren, William Van V.
Wells, Grover C.
Wickstrom, Walter C.
Wilkins, Robert D.
Willis, Richard M.
Wood, Charles P.

First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Captain

Second Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
Major

6. List of men in Third and Fourth Battalions

THIRD BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
DETACHMENT

Battalion Sergeant Major

Schraer, John C.
Battalion Supply Sergeant

Sena, Charles J.
Sergeants

Dalzell, Phil

Freytag, Charles F.
Corporals

Cilligan, Edward

Stucki, Leo A.
Wagoners

Bell, Wilbur •

Marvin, Harry N.
Cooks

Hess, Frank

Lemmon, Fred V.
Mechanics

Curren, Joseph J.

Oras, James

Stiger, Lester M.

Swain, Warren R.
Privates First Class

Herold, William W.

O'Boyle, Patrick

Phillips, William C.

Sauer, Charles A.

Schad, Henry L.

Semonin, Lester P.

Somers, Frank R.
Privates

Brauneck, Wayne

Eisele, Hearvy E.

Eliason, Magnus E.

First, Charles T.

Fisher, Leo L.

Freeland, Mar>'land

Herr, Exiward

Hosket, Gustave H.

304

APPENDIX

Hussey, Edward
Kennedy, Edgar C
Melton, John W.
Miller, Clark R.
Otting, William
Peterson, Claude R.

Rickard, Don A.
Roglin, George
Ruck, Samuel
Schenck, Charles G.
Spiker, Jacob M. ^
Stanton, Martin J.

COMPANY G

First Sergeant

Now, James C.
Sergeants First Class

Burchfield, Fred

Dozer, Carl R.

MarzlufF, Edgar
Mess Sergeant

Pritchard, Roy C.
Supply Sergeant

Canter, Louis H.
Transportation Sergeant

Scott, Homer J.
Sergeants

Britton, James H.

Deneke, Roy

Gould, Elmer

Pullen, John H.

Rosichan, William A.

Short, William B.

Spencer, Frank G.
Corporals

Andecover, Miland A.

Barger, Curtis E.

Bradley, Earl

Burrows, Clifford A.

Callahan, Arthur

Decolibus, Arturo

Ellis, John

Evans, Robert E.

Fetters, John W.

Hoagland, Vernon C.

Kazaroff, Mike

Kowalko, Felix

Lawrence, Don R.

McLaughlin, Dan G.

Martin, J. J.

O'Brien, George E.

Ostrowski, Tom

Price, Gerdt C.

Radulavich, Miroje

Sands, Howard E.

Schmogrow, Fred T.

Shoults, Joseph F.

Stechschulte, Cyril C.

Stinson, Irl A.

Wagner, John A.

Wood, Don L.

Zehnder, Frederick C.
Cooks

Mcllvain, Ralph C.

Stankiewicz, Felix
Bugler

Powell, Clarence E.
Privates First Class

Bacher, Paul R.

Berg, Alfred

I

APPENDIX

305

Biggs, Adam
Canter, Otto
Carlyon, Ed. L.
Carter, Roy W.
Casler, Ed. T.
Clabaugh, William A.
Cotterman, Lester C.
Ervin, Dexter B.
Evans, Paul J.
Fowkes, Homer S.
Haselbach, Harley H.
Hinton, Clyde P.
Hoobler, Lloyd C.
Hush, Walter W.
Marcum, Warden
Morris, Kennard R.
Powell, Listen E.
Savage, William H.
Sharp, Harold W.
Slagel, Everett F.
Summers, Madison H.
Tarnow, Alfred O.
Vawter, George
Wilson, Jesse W.
Zaebst, Elmer O.
Privates

Ackerman, Frank J.
Angelo, Ralph P.
Arnold, Robert
Ashton, Stanley G.
Baker, Charles W.
Beadnell, Alvine
Becher, Edward
Beckley, Lee
Benson, Howard T.
Bigham, Edward G.

Boley, William J.
Bonnell, Ralph H.
Booth, Paul N.
Brewer, Floyd E.
Bruderly, Earnest A.
Carpenter, Doyle
Carpenter, William
Carr, Harrison B.
Carter, James B.
Chaney, Henry N.
Chaney, William S.
Chercony, Joseph A.
Clevenger, George
Combs, Clarence F.
Combs, Kindrick
Collins, Clarence M.
Cooperrider, Albert L.
Corl, Frank M.
Cox, George
Coy, Emery C.
Craig, John L.
Currella, Toney
Dennis, John H.
Dresback, Thomas
Drummond, John A.
Dwinnell, Theodore ,
Earl, Henry F.
Ellis, John L.
Ellis, Leslie
Engard, Frank J.
Fain, Jasper
Fetter, Milton B.
Fitzpatrick, Orley M.
Foos, Edwin G.
Frederick, Pierce D.
Friedenauer, Emil A.

3o6

APPENDIX

Garloch, Aries H.
Garver, George W.
Geese, Hugh W.
Gildow, Joseph
Gohl, Walter C.
Gorman, Frank D.
Guisinger, Denver C.
Haas, Bryan W.
Hanefield, Louis W.
Hatt, William P.
Hauger, William F.
Hayman, Wilfred G.
Hendershott, William J.
Hendrickson, Clyde
Hobensack, John E.
Hoffman, Hugo F.
Holz, Arthur W.
Horger, Clarence
Hughes, Reno C.
Isenbletter, Russell E.
Johnson, George W.
Johnson, Walter L.
Jones, Vermont G.
Jones, Walter W.
Jordan, Dorcy C.
Keller, Clarence M.
Kirby, Albert
Koval, Taras
Kwis, Joseph, Jr.
Langenderfer, Leo R.
Lavender, Marion F.
Linda muth. Earnest R.
Line, Everett, F.
Link, Elmer F.
Little, Charles H.
Lutz, Garrett H.

McBane, Norman E.
McGhee, James
McMannis, Roscoe E.
Malofsky, Philip
Manley, Earl
Mannon, Lonnie
Marion, Roy G.
Marquart, Edward
Marty, Atlee F.
Mathers, Glenn W.
Matin, Ralph
Meacham, Lawrence L.
Meyer, Albert J.
Meyers, Ferdinand J.
Miller, William M.
Montgomery, Lawrence
Montgomery, Thomas
Moore, Harold E.
Moore, Paul S.
Morgan, Earl R.
Newcomer, Harvey
Osborne, Frederick
Patterson, Ralph W.
Paul, Jacob E.
Payne, Elza O.
Peirano, Albert J.
Pierce, Clark A.
Plachetka, Frank
Potts, James F.
Prince, Lawrence
Princehorn, Raymond S.
Propson, Joe R.
Quest, Earl J.
Rain, Lester H.
Rausch, Albert L
Richardson, George

APPENDIX

307

Rickelmann, Anton
Riddle, George D.
Rogers, Herman J.
Ross, James F.
Roth, George F.
Rowland, Arlie E.
Rudnick, Benny
Rust, William C.
Sabo, John
Salemi, Louis
SarfiF, William J.
Schnippel, Albert J.
Schuld, Elmer B.
Schumaker, Edwin E.
Schweitzer, Willis R.
Secrest, Melvin B.
Shanahan, Ralph H.
Sheppard, Earl V.
Sherbaum, Emil
Shoemaker, Joseph W.
Shumaker, Clarence P.
Siudzinski, John
Smith, Otto J.
Smith, Ralph D.
Smoot, John W.
Snouffer, Joseph F.
Sprouse, John D.
Sprowl, George L.
Steinbrunner, Robert J.
Stergios, Christ
Stewart, Edgar R.

Struble, Orland M.
Sutter, Robert
Swisher, Jesse J.
Thompson, Ward
Timmons, Worley C.
Uhl, William E.
Untied, Leonard E.
Vessels, Hayes H.
Wagner, Lewis B.
Walcott, Harry N.
Walters, Martin L.
Weadock, Paul V.
Wearstler, Herdman
W'elch, Harry S.
Wells, Leonard O.
Wheeler, Robert B.
White, Clyde O.
White, Frank B.
Wiandt, John E.
Wiles, Samuel
Wilkerson, Lysle D.
Williams, Charles C.
Williams, David
Winkel, Frederick
Wolaver, Lawrence R.
Wortman, Clarence L.
Wright, Caret H.
Wymer, Cloyd
Young, William L.
Zachariah, Theodore

First Sergeant

Piers, William F.
Sergeants First Class

Davis, Newell

COMPANY H

Grinkmeyer, John
Jacobs, Gary E.
Massie, Harry E.
Walter, Frank M.

3o8

Mess Sergeant

Emig, George C.
Supply Sergeant

Pence, Alfred L.
Sergeants

Anderson, Ed. E.

Lewis, William C.

Moran, William A.

Morgan, Leonard D.

Murray, Charles J.

Rowland, Harold W.

Sadler, Edward C.

Seevers, Raymond E.

Valentiner, William R.

Young, George E.
Corporals

Bergin, Daniel J.

Camingcovich, Hector E.

Clark, Robert W.

Deal, Robert F.

Drehobl, John F., Jr.

Eisman, Anthony H.

Farley, John P.

Fox, Arthur F.

Garner, Floyd E.

Gillis, Charles F.

Grueser, George

Hamburg, Charles W.

Harvey, Donald

Hemingway, George E.

Hidey, George E.

Hoffman, Philip A.

Howard, John E.

Huentelman, Louis H.

Hughes, Clarence

Juvenile, Ralph

APPENDIX

Kuhlman, Sterkel C.

Martin, George S.

McFee, Alexander A.

McGrady, Andrew W.

Rohlfer, George H.

Runion, Charles C.

Scurry, Frank P.

Snyder, Walter W.

Weisberger, Frederick H.

Wolfe, Edmond O.
Wagoners

Burkett, Ray D.

Dillinger, Charles F.

Mellott, Ray J.

Reidy, Bryan J.

Zimmerman, Joseph
Cooks

Jinks, Outhwaite W.

Forristal, Leonard

Rust, Emerson M.

Tedrow, John

Tolksdorf, Edwin G.
Buglers

Hinkle, Thomas

Zamiska, John W.
Privates First Class

Adams, Louis

Amrein, John

Bird, John J. P.

Bratton, Charles F.

Briggs, John B.

Brown, George F.

Chaney, Forest L

Currettie, James J.

D'Agostino, Donate

Dye, Charles F. -

1

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=t-

©

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A. 1

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J9' ^

m ^ ^

-"^.v ■-. •V^-''*

APPENDIX

309

Emge, Raymond B.
Fisher, Oliver F.
Frazier, Ora W.
Funkhouser, Alpha L.
Gorman, Roy B.
Grabowski, Othmar A.
Gregory, Otho
Hartman, Lee V.
Hendershott, Roy A.
Howdyshell, Levi
Ingraham, Verne H.
Jelinek, Vincent G.
Jenkins, Clyde S.
Karman, Andrew A.
Karrick, Charles F.
Kinkoph, Joseph A.
Knowles, Sheridan C.
Kontowicz, Albert J.
Locke, Fred E.
Manly, Frank D.
Mathews, Lewie D.
McKenzie, Charles J.
Metro, Steven M.
Mittnacht, John
Moore, Claridon M.
Myler, William G.
Parks, Harry M.
Parrish, Charles E.
Payne, Troy
Pyles, Raymond
Reedy, Martin L.
Schindler, Maurice
Schroeder, Albert W.
Schultz, Edward W.
Schwope, Frank G.
Seaders, Frank H.

Sibcy, Wallace D. '
Simmons, Fred
Smith, Charley
Smith, Curtis C.
Soldwish, Emil C.
Stavermann, Joseph T.
Strand, Joseph P.
Trapp, Emil A.
Ulry, Cecil
Vornhagen, Otto A.
Walsh, Raymond J.
Wright, Thomas G.
Yohman, Joseph A.
Zeiger, Herman
Zink, Fred J.
Privates
Adams, William T.
Adolff, Ray V.
Albright, William G.
Ammon, Earl F.
Anderson, Frank R.
Andrix, Charles A.
Anthony, Hugo J.
Appis, Samuel F.
Arnold, Jacob G.
Babino, James L.
Baker, Melvin E.
Ballentine, Overton J.
Beach, Charles C. M.
Berning, Clarence A.
Black, James A.
Blanchard, Lester J.
Bloomfield, John M.
Bowsher, Kenneth O.
Brown, Fred
Burton, Joseph

310

APPENDIX

Bush, Jacob

Cappell, Jasper M.
Carter, Cecil W.
Chandler, Robert
Clark, Amos A.
Coe, Bryan
Cole, William W.
Colegrove, Clifford E.
Conoway, William B.
Cupps, Irvin C.
Dailey, George T.
Davis, William J.
Deer, Louis N.
DeLong, Nathaniel
Denbow, Earl J.
Diamond, Max
Dieble, Clarence C.
Dillon, William J.
Dotson, William H.
Dunn, Marion
Ellis, Oran W.
Everhart, Robert E.
Parson, George H.
Fetter man, Jesse F.
Fisher, Lawrence W.
Flickinger, William H.
Foden, Edwin
Frazier, William T.
Friedlander, Joseph H.
Frye, James S.
Gard, Earl B.
George, Charles
Goff, Verner E.
Gossett, Hubert M.
Gould, Harry E. ;
Graham, John J.

Grant, Fred R.
Grifhths. George D.
Groff, Charles E.
Gugelman, Forest A.
Hardesty, James A.
Harris, Thomas
Hartshorn, Harold O.
Hasman, James
Hayes, Frank
Heiks, Dayton F.
Hill, James W.
Houska, Charles
Jackson, Allen C.
Jaworski, Mike F.
Jester, Claude M.
Johnson, Oscar S.
Judge, Albert R.
Khune, Leonard E.
Kimberlin, George T.
Kissling, Earl W.
Kmetz, Andrew
Korsnas, John
Kreakbaum, Otto C.
Krobusek, John J.
Kuntz, Henry J.
Lewis, Harley E.
Liggett, Thomas A.
Liller, Herman F.
Linscott, Arza A.
Lute, Charles E.
Markowitz, Harry
Markum, Emmit
McDonald, Roger D.
McGinnes, Theodore F.
Meinking, Edward F.
Messer, Benjamin H.

APPENDIX

311

Metchell, Paul
Miles. Thomas H.
Miller, Otis
Mohler, Arthur E.
North, Cecil E.
Ohl, Clair T.
Peter, Carl F.
Roe, Ross S.
Rose, Peter
Ross, Everett A.
Russell, Harold R.
Scheller, Arthur N.
Siegenthaler, John
Shafer, James F., Jr.
Shafranek, William
Smith, Griffin
Smith, William B.
Snyder, Adam J.
Stachniak, Ignatio

Staten, Walter E.
Stemen, Leroy S.
Stevens, Herman M.
Strayer, John W.
Stripon, Ralph
Tool is, John
Torgler, Arthur
Vetter, Vitus J.
Walser, Stanley D.
Walsh, Walter J.
Warstler, Reese C.
Weikert, Loran Lee
Welsh, Michael C.
Wiener, Sanford T.
Willford, Richard J.
Williams, Walter C.
Wooddell. Byron H.
Zelinski, Leonard A.

First Sergeant

Sodders, Roy E.
Sergeants First Class

Clendenin, Paul E.

Frasch, Karl W.

O'Neill, Robert C.

Spielman, Carl W.

Tieman, Edwin J.
Mess Sergeant

Gray, Harley R.
Supply Sergeant

Collins, Howard F.
Sergeants

Berry, Abraham

Dixon, Virgil L.

COMPANY I

Drazdik, George P.
Glaser, David
Harris, Howard A.
Hoffman, Harry T.
Johnson, Howard
MaxAvell, Jesse H.
McClurkin, Everett J.
Palmer, William H. S.
Tomko, Michael
Corporals
Ball, William C.
Brandel, Victor F.
Coon, Glen
Dalton, Clarence
Davidson, Jerome Wm., Ji

312

APPENDIX

A Donahoe, John S.

parhart, Claude

Ellinger, Solomon

Farmer, Howard M.

Felber, Walter J.

Haupt, Karl W.

Hobson, Robert A.

Hodgson, James

Jacobsen, Carl H.

Kettlewood, Harry B.

Leiner, Howard A. |

LeMaster, Ernest H.

McClintick, Fred

Maurer, John B.

Miller, James, Jr.

Moeller, Arthur H.

Neel, George S.

Niemeier, Harry A.

Pound, Guy S.

Richards, James W.

Ries, Edward

Ripley, Obed S.

Robbins, Erwin C.

Russell, Foster C.

Smith, Donald

Wilson, William C.
Privates
> Arnold, Frank E.

Artis, Dovel

Barberio, Lulgi

Barrett, Ernest B.

Bartlett, Charles J.

Bauer, Charles R.

Baum, Forest H.

Bauman, James M.

Beall, Russell T.

Belg, Elmer F.
Billman, Leonard E.
Binder, Julius
Bircher, Emiel J.
Black, Raymond '
Blanton, Alfred J.
Bloom, Claude
Bolin, James F.
Bottwood, Leonard W.
Brammer, Hubert A.
Brannon, John M.
Briggs, Robert R.
Brooks, John H.
Brooks, Thomas W.
Brown, Harry
Brown, Samuel J.
Burger, Charles A. .
Butz, Charles R., Jr.
Cable, Edward
Campbell, George, Jr.
Carle, Wesley S.
Carlisle, Thomas
Carpet, Hay B.
Chabondy, Frank R.
Converse, Leo E.
Coon, Harmon
Cooper, Harry
Covelle, Joe
Coyer, Clyde
Coyle, William D.
Craig, William R.
Cummins, Harry W.
Davis, Howard O.
Dielman, Anthony G.
Disser, Samuel M., Jr.
Drake, Azil E.

CO

IV r

APPENDIX

3^3

Duemer, Carl E.
Ely, Roy

Emerick, Clyde H.
Enstes, Clifford
Ex)nda, Frank
Etter, Herschel L.
Fannin, John
Feistel, Frank J.
Fisher, George W.
Ford, John P.
Forney, John R.
Fothergill, Robert R.
Franey, Edward J.
Glass, Lloyd W.
Gfeller, John, Jr.
Goebel, Joseph J.
Goldberg, Abraham
Gorotka, John
Granstaff, Leroy A.
Grosfato, Vincenzo
Gruhlke, Leo J.
Hagan, James C.
Haldin, Fred J.
Hall, Milton
Hall, Ulysses G.
Hammans, Clarence T.
Hansen, Harold A.
Harbaugh, Donald
Harnish, John M.
Harper, Austin
Harvey, Lloyd
Heddleson, Allen R.
Heddleston, Brady
Heinbuch, Howard C.
Heindle, George W.
Heisserer, Raymond C.

Hensley, Buford
Heritage, Arlie C.
Hester, Amos L.
Hochenberger, Harry
Houser, Stanley J.
Huyser, Matthew
Jacobs, Russell
Johnson, Charley W.
Johnson, Emery
Johnson, William H.
Joyce, Thomas P.
Kaczmarek, Louis J,
Kalstein, John O.
Kaylor, Chester A.
Kelly, Thomas J.
Kenney, James M.
Kenyon, Lester L
Kight, Elden J.
Kish, Steve
Kline, Clarence N.
Knecht, Leroy J.
Knowles, Ray A.
Kocz, Wladyslaw
Krolski, Theodore
Kubiszewski, Teafil
Kuntz, Leo Vincint
Kuth, Clarence F.
Lantz, Stephen
Lee, Cyril M.
Lisk, Jesse
Love, Dean
Love, Van B.
Mack, Carl J.
Magers, Don A.
Marks, Smith
Mason, Alfred J.

314

APPENDIX

Mays, James E.
McCord, Howard
McDaniel, William H.
McFadden, Charles E.
McKee, John W,
McKinney, Charles H.
Messerschmidt, Edwin H.
Millard, Ralph
Miller, Alva J.
Moniodis, Nicholas
Moore, John S.
Nardini, Anthony
Neff, Gilbert E.
Noblet, John R.
Parsons, Doyle
Perzel, Paul J.
Petrello, Rocci J.
Phillips, Frank
Pletka, Joseph
Polifrone, James
Purdin, Albert L.
Ray, Archie R.
Reamer, Florian H.
Reardon, John B.
Reasor, Jacob A. *
Reed, Addison
Renicker, Lewis A.
Renner, Raymond G.
Repa, Nick
Rice, Clarence W.
Romano, Charley
Romans, Glenard N.
Rosenthal, Aaron R.
Roqueplot, Marshall
Salsberry, Delbert
Sander, Carl H.

Schalk, Michael J.
Schmeiser, John J.
Schmidt, George
Seckinger, Hoy J.
Selentino, James
Sertell, Charles B.
Shaw, David L.
Shepherd, Melvin A.
Shifferly, Firm
Shoemaker, William D.
Shook, Jerd V., Jr.
Shugert, Ralph
Simon, George
Simons, Emmett
Sipes, Ray C.
Smith, Adam W.
Snider, Lige
Snyder, Joseph E.
Sonnhalter, John D.
Stall, George E.
Starner, Ralph A.
Stegeman, Frank J.
Stewart, Martin F.
Strobel, Frank A.
Sullivan, Ben
Swacus, John
Tatarin, Mike
Teets, William E.
Thies, Albert H.
Tilford, La Verne
Trainor, Arthur J.
Travis, Harry A.
Tritschler, Joseph J.
Twarogowski, Bernard
Valentine, Herbert C.
Varwig, Henry F.

APPENDIX

Vinunsky, Samuel
Walsh, Vincent J.
Waskavitz, William F.
Watson, Leslie L.
Whitfield, William H.
Whittington, Marvin

Wile, Laird J.
Williams, Sam
Willis, Roy E.
Wolf, Charles J.
Worrell, Frank

3^5

FOURTH BATTALION HEADQUARTERS
DETACHMENT

Battalion Sergeant-Major

Orr, Thomas
Battalion Supply Sergeant

Macke, Joseph A.
Sergeants

Olson, Harry

Rosenblum, Philip
Corporals

Madison, Abe P.

Vaigl, Fred E.
Wagoners

Leone, Joseph A.

Mulford, Elmer C.
Cooks

Brothers, Harry L.

Metzger, Ivan C.
Mechanics

Baumeister, Harold E.

Klugman, Carl H.

McElligott, J. K.

Ormes, W. V.
Privates First Class

Dugan, Hugh

Eberle, Carl M.

Frerick, Neil

Gedeon, Henry F.

McCormac, Edward O.

Unger, Herbert E.

Weigand, Edward
Privates
- Aebi, John

Anderson, Louis C.

Butkoski, George

Dixon, Henry B.

Donaldson, Edward S.

Ewald, John F.

Fitzgerald, Frank E.

Fleming, Frank E.

Garfinkle, Louis

Garman, Francis H.

Gutzwiller, Joseph

Hesoun, Joseph J.

Knaack, George

Lockwood, Earl

Purney, Nelson

Simpson. Carl W.

Smith, Reuben C.

Straw, William C.

Stultz, Frank M.

Swigon, Walter F.

Wartluft, Samuel, Jr.

3i6

APPENDIX

COMPANY K

First Sergeant

Bryant, Leslie R.
Supply Sergeant

Breidenbaugh, Edwin E.
Sergeants

Asher, Homer C.

Brown, Ralph

Gordon, James S.

Hall, John A.

Hatfield, Jorse D.

Hayward, John E.

Kidd, John E.

King, Thomas N.

Kitchen, William B.

Kuehner, Harry A.

Musser, Wesley D.

Northcraft, Elmer V.

Rettig, Archie R.

Rosenblatt, Louis

Sine, Ole L.

Staley, Lawrence E.
Corporals

Becker, William M.

Bolton, Robert J.

Bredestege, Carl J.

Britton, Sylvian

Davidson, Everett

Denning, Lester E.

Eley, Franklin V.

Evers, Henry

Friesner, James R.

Garst, Shelby

Helber, Kurt R.

Hoover, Pearl C.

Howell, Homer C.

Jacolfeori, Arthur W.

Kauf, Walter E.

Kiger, Charles H.

Koons, David F.

Leiner,' Robert D.

McBride, Arthur A.

McDavitt, Elson B.

Michael, Lucian F.

Monroe, Clyde B. "^

Palmeter, Clarence E.

Perrine, George D.

Roley, Wayne H.

SchiU, William J. ,

Schofield, Frank R.

Smith, Charles W. ^

Soter, George

Walker, Richard i

Weaver, Basil V. '
Cooks

Barker, Jared E.

Corey, John W.

Orr, Glendon E.

Phipps, Clarence
Privates

Abels, William E.

Agal, Thornton D.

Allen, John A.

Andrews, Everett 0.

Atkinson, Carl B.

Axe, John L.

Baker, Edgar

Baker, Robert G.

Beach, Melvin A.

Beller, Raymond H.

Bender, Harley E.

W9 "^ ^Mf , Ij

COI\

I^^M^KiMf^t^

4-i^^-f f ? T-r

/ 4

ti-

l-^o^.

t^(

lY K

APPENDIX

317

Blaro, Adamo
Blessinger, John T.
Bogucki, Walter H.
Boyce, Charles
Bredbeck, Ralph A.
Brewster, Thomas E.
Broadbridge, Edwin J.
Brooker, Harry R.
Brooks, Jay M.
Brown, Emmit
Budke, Ernst
Byerly, Rudolph W.
Cady, Frank J.
Campbell, Elmer
Cannon, Omar
Careins, David V.
Carlin, Clarence H.
Chalfant, Garrett H.
Clark, Edwin
Click, William R.
Coan, Paul L.
Cook, Charles B.
Cooper, Frank H.
Cornforth, Charles H.
Cox, Wilbur P.
Craft, John W.
Cranfield, Clarence H.
Creamer, Warnia B.
Creighton, Regis D.
Crisp, Sidney
David, Andy
Davis, Edward M.
Demko, George E.
Dew, Harold E.
Doty, Wilbur M.
Doud, Farnum C.

Drotter, Mike S.
Elias, Joe
Elliott, Victor E.
Evans, Louis
Fawcett, Edward B.
Feige, Erwin F.
Finley, Arthur R.
Fisk, Hubert R.
Flagg, Harry
Fletcher, John F.
Forbusch, Frank F.
Fox, Frank
France, Luster
Frye, Glenn R.
Funk, Harry L.
Gable, Claude E.
Galio, Giovan B.
Gallentine, George H.
Gantz, Paul W.
Garverick, Lee R.
Gardiner, Charles B.
Geissman, Reuben C.
Glaub, Frank
Gordon, Frank B.
Gosda, Henry
Gosser, Anthony
Grosvenor, Edward L.
Hagerman, James A.
Hamski, Walter C.
Handley, Luther L.
Harmon, Fred
Harper, Hobert H.
Harris, Ambrose R.
Harter, Harold S.
Haught, Wilbert J.
Hawthorn, Albert

3i8

APPENDIX

Hawk, John
Haynes, Ed
Heckert, Guy
Helton, Charles W.
Hesler, Harry H.
Hiatt, Edward
Hirsch, Frank A.
Holiday, John
Horton, Robert
Hughes, Joseph H.
Hulbert, Frederick L.
Hunt, Lester D.
Jackson, Corrall
Jarrett, William
Johnson, Charles A.
Jones, John H.
Kindred, George
Koons, Otto E.
Lashley, Oscar S.
Leienberger, Wilber
Link, Fremont
Long, Walter R.
Mack, Elmer
Malicki, Boleslaw C.
Manahan, William G,
Maple, James H.
Marietta, Lester B.
Martin, Stanley
Mascia, Giovanni
Mason, Frank E.
Mavis, Clarence E.
McCann, Milton B.
McClory, Mike E.
McCormick, John
McGaffney, William J.
Mellinger, Carl L.

Mickelson, John P.
Miller, Edward H.
Miller, Jesse H.
Mitzewitz, Roman
Monroe, Howard W.
Moore, Hobart
Moran, Earl T.
Morgan, Ira
Mottinger, Jesse C.
Munziato, Spidare
Needles, Max
Nowakowski, Joseph
Oakes, Oscar E.
Page, Vernon O.
Pedersen, Peder K.
Petri, Raneto
Phelps, Carl H.
Piper, Arthur F.
Reed, Joe E.
Reisling, William N.
Rentschler, Charles H.
Richards, Cecil D.
Rickard, Homer G.
Ridenour, Ray W.
Rigney, Owen
Riley, Dolphy C.
Robinson, Russel H.
Romeo, Frank
Rose, Lawrence C.
Rosenbrook, George
Rostanowski, John
Roush, Oscar
Ryan, Otto
Rybeck, Charles
Schultz, Ollie J.
Shafer, Jesse

APPENDIX

319

Shawchanko, Stive
Shireman, Ira E.
Shoemaker, John Mike
Shreck, Charles W.
Sleesman, John C.
Smith, Joseph H.
Snyder, James A.
Spindler, Jacob M.
Sproch, John
Stack, Asik
Stanley, Rush W.
Stefan, John
Stephens, Lee K.
Stewart, James A.
Strope, John F.
Swigert, John H.
Szkutnik, John
Theis, Matthew W.
Theret, Gusta
Townsend, Walter E.
Trott, Cyrus A.

Valodin, Ernest M.
Vitelli, Angelo
Wagner, John L.
Walpole, Thomas D.
Wantland, Edgar L.
Ward, William L.
Waters, Vere R.
Wernz, Lawrence D.
Wiesse, Frederick W.
Wikoff, William L
Williams, John H.
Willis, Edward H.
Winkler, George A.
Winkler, Herbert W.
Wray, Charles
Wright, George E.
Wyatt, Willard O.
Woolf, Earl W.
York, Ernest H.
Zaleski, John

COMPANY L

First Sergeant

Knochel, John N.
Sergeants First Class
. Brunner, Foster A.

Clancy, James R.

Englehart, Royal C.

Ogren, Brother S.

Wanner, Louis C.
Mess Sergeant

Cope, Elmer A.
Supply Sergeant

Fox, Joseph R.

Sergeants

Blocksom, Harry

Daugherty, Charles E.

Olson, Oscar

Rankin, Mansel L.

Scholz, Arthur B.

Schwarz, Edward R.

Stout, Harry M.

Totterdale, Robert

Wharton, Walter 1.
Corporals

Barnes, Harold E.

320

APPENDIX

Bashara, George R.

Brickies, Marvin

Burgess, Mark

Bushmann, Edward H.

Davidson, Harry

Davis, Forest D.

Denny, Miles L.

Denton, Claud

Fitzgerald, Alphonse

Henz, Clarence W.

Hoppe, Walter

Jennings, Ardra H.

Juvenal, Harry

Kranz, Arthur E.

Metcalf, Perley D.

Mueller, John N.

Newberry, Percy M.

Overlin, Ellis A.

Pohlkamp, Joseph H.

Proctor, Milton D.

Quigley, Omer J.

Rockett, Edward T.

Sines, William H.

Travis, Howard

Turkenkopf, Bernard

Westerviller, William

Woodruff, Orval J.

Wray, Floyd R.
Cooks

Boice, Reed V.

McFarland, William J.

Noyes, Clyde

Rammacciato, Mike

Tuller, Earnest C.
Privates First Class .

Banks, John L.

Colthar, Clarence L.
Deuvall, Fred G.
Dobson, Roy
Flynn, James R.
Fraza, Emil F.
Freeman, Harvey J.
Githens, Ernest C.
Harmon, Boyd A.
Hoagland, Walter R.
Kirby, Cecil E.
Lanam, William N.
McKinney, William H.
Shontlemire, William N.
Smith, Squire O.
Stanforth, Virgil P.
Taylor, Joseph T.
Wester, Richard
Wortendyke, Glenn
Yell, Leo F.
Zmudzinski, Raymond
Privates
Abrams, Chalmers H.
Adams, John T.
Adams, Michael G.
Anderson, Theodore
Archer, Charley B.
Archer, William F.
Baldwin, Robert E.
Balmer, Eli
Bell, Lester
Belmont, James H.
Beery, Beecher
Blazer, Horace H.
Bledsoe, Albert
Blosser, Earl
Blubaugh, William H.

COMP

APPENDIX

321

Bond, Clarence M.
Boone, Elmer
Bowes, Earl P.
Brannon, James K.
Brookes, George E.
Brown, William G.
Brunk, Estel E.
Burgin, Carl P.
Burke, Charles H.
Burkett, Tom N.
Burnett, Merle
Butts, Raymond A.
Byers, Forest R.
Carlin, Oscar L.
Carroll, Harry G.
Cassill, Dominick
Clemens, Richard, Jr.
Collum, George
Corcoran, John J.
Cosentino, Anthony
Crosby, Howard
Cubbison, Brodie M.
CulHgan, Edward H.
Culp, Ralph E.
Daniel, Edward J.
Daulton, Clifford
Davis, Dan S.
Davis, Eugene R.
Denslow, Miles W.
Dinnardo, Pasquale
Domer, Melvin C.
Draham, Richard G.
Driesbach, Ansel G.
Driggs, Eddie
Ducatt, Jay B.
Dye, Marshall

Eichenlaub, Howard F.
Emrick, Orion L.
Ervin, Alex M.
Ezersky, Mich T.
Ferguson, George
Figg, Henry H.
Foley, John M.
Foltz, Carl V.
Fowler, Delbert
Freed, Sol
Gabriel, Lloyd E.
Gannon, Eddie N.
Garver, Clarence J.
Gayhart, Lewis
Geiger, George E.
Ginther, Eddie
Gittins, William, Jr.
Gnagi, Lawrence C.
Gotos, Luis F.
Grandstaff, George
Gubernath, Albert M.
Handwerker, Harry
Harris, Morris
Harry, Clyde E.
Hartsook, Hershell H.
Headley, Perry G.
Hendricks, Harley
Hensley, Henry A.
Hereford, James L.
Hobler, Clyde W.
Holtel, William A.
Hott, George L.
Howard, Emory L.
Hultz, Raymond F.
Ives, Samuel
Jaske, John J.

322

APPENDIX

Jenkins, Howard N.
Jesberger, Joseph V.
Kahl, Charles
Karaglanian, Hagop
Kern, Clarence S.
Kinsey, Clarence A.
Klinzing, William
Koepke, Reinhold W.
Kreutzer, Raymond J.
Kunkle, Roy E.
Kurr, Oliver O.
Lemal, Lawrence W.
Lemmer, Charles T.
Litteral, James
Longerbone, Truman L.
Lumpkins, Sellards
Malindzak, Jesse L.
Malone, Joseph R.
Mark, Saul H.
Mauch, Louis M.
Mayzik, Rudolph R.
McDougle, Jesse C.
McHaffie, Ray
Mcllvain, Orville L.
Metzger, Leo L.
Mitchell, Edward M.
Moffett, Lauren R.
Morgenstern, Herbert
Morrison, Charles
Murphy, Jacob L.
Myers, Benjamin
Neftzer, Archie L.
Nicolas, James M.
Nieman, Frank R.
O'Brien, Francis J.
Oestricher, Herman J.

O'Neil, James
Redd, George W.
Reddington, Michael
Reed, Harry L.
Ritchie, Edgar
Rogers, John
Royal, John O.
Ryan, Thomas F.
Scanlon, Michael P.
Schaefer, David E.
Scherer, Lawrence L.
Schwepe, Oscar W.
Scott, Hencil C.
Semple, Lester H.
Sense, William J.
Shaner, Samuel D.
Shanks, James W.
Shepherd, Donald D.
Siadak, Ernest
Skipton, Guy M.
Slagle, Denver
Smith, Alia M.
Snyder, Alva B.
Spangler, Minor G.
Stempinski, William
Stirn, Frank
Stone, Homer K.
Storer, Clarence R.
Stouffer, Joseph E.
Theis, William
Thompson, George
Tillett, Charles T.
Todd, Albert C.
Turvey, Kenneth
Vincent, Lawrence L.
Vondersmith, Adrian

APPENDIX

323

Wade, William J.
Wagner, Otto D.
Walker, Russel A.
Walsh, Irving
Walt, Howard
Waltz, William F.
Ward, Dale F.
Wastier, Jacob L.

Weidinger, Fred B.
Weyers, Frank J.
Whitfield, George
Wineland, Harry S.
Wohleben, Arthur W.
Yencer, James A.
Zick, Robert A.

COMPANY M

Sergeants

Bishop, Euclid C.

Concannon, John W.

Gantner, Charles

Hutcherson, George I.

Maulfair, Ralph

McCormick, Francis L.

Purcell, Paul E.

Sillies, Joseph, Jr.

Stockstill, Oscar T.

Turner, James H.
Corporals

Anderson, Arthur H.

Brock, William J. B.

Bates, Denver H.

Bean, Joseph D.

Blackstone, Franklin R.

Campbell, Julius M.

Daniels, Edward W.

Dennis, Paul D.

Estergreen, Paul

Himmelein, Charles

Kitzman, Walter W.

Lambert, Lawrence H.

Mead, Ralph W.

Mclnnes, Leroy

Owen, Myler
Pregenzer, Paul
Piklo, Francis E.
Ridle, Alfred A.
Schmitz, Henry J.
Schmitz, Joseph W.
Skinner, William J. B,
Snyder, Charles B.
Snyder, Howard E.
Srodes, John J.
Steigerwald, Lawrence H.
Stratton, John
Sweeney, Thomas J.
Tingley, Earl D.
Whitman, John F.
Privates

Admire, Fred
Akins, George S.
Allbery, Clyde C.
Allman, Elmer
Aue, Henry E.
Baker, Sidney J.
Barrett, Clark H.
Barrows, Charles G.
Bell, Alva J.
Berndt, Edward F.

324

APPENDIX

Bialecki, Nicholas
Binegar, Charles L.
Black, Henry T.
Blacksher, June J.
Board, Fred A.
Bower, James A.
Bowler, Clyde R.
Boyd, Glen
Boyle, James
Brittain, Phillip W.
Brondo, Leo F.
Brown, Haider L.
Brown, Peter O.
Bush, Josh
Campbell, George E.
Carpenter, Douglas R.
Carson, Edward S.
Cataline, James A.
Chlim, Nicholas
Chumard, Charles H.
Coressel, Leonard H.
Corwin, Harry
Coulson, Clarence L.
Cox, Pearl
Crowley, Ernest R.
Davis, Clarence E.
Davis, George
Deeds, Harry G.
Deiser, Joseph J.
Dicks, Stephen E.
Donselman, Harry W.
Dorman, Gail G.
Douglas, Clarence E.
Dudley, Larwence
Dunn, Richard H.
Dutton, Frank

Eddington, Nathaniel B.
Estell, Floyd E.
Fahrney, Christ J.
Fisher, Clyde T.
Fosha, Walter
Friend, Earl E.
Garrison, Cloyd
Gaudette, Lee
Gestrich, Robert W.
Giampaolo, Lewie
Gibson, Cosby O.
Gieke, Fred W.
Graham, Fred S.
Gray, Eustice G.
Grosskurth, Charles, Jr.
Halley, Harry H.
Hardacre, Charles D.
Hardoerfer, John J.
Harris, Willis
Hartley, Roy
Hartshorn, Chauncy C.
Hayes, Lawrence
Henley, James C.
Herdimon, Apostolus
Hill, Ora L.
Hower, Ray S.
Hugi, John R.
Hulec, August
Hunter, John W.
Jackson, Bruce K.
Jackson, Harry
Jenkins, Thomas D.
Jewell, R. K.
Johnson, Lewis W.
Kelley, Arthur A.
Kennedy, Bernard W.

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APPENDIX

325

Kennedy, Walter W.
Kider, Leon
Kimble, Harry D.
Kinkead, Gray
Klause, Frank
Kneubuehl, Charles
Knight, Harry
Koenig, George J.
Korb, Harry C.
Kuczynski, Boleslau
Kuhn, Leo J.
Kuonzli, Homer C.
Laake, Louis F.
Lachtrupp, Elve M.
Lanning, Clarence *
Leist, Emmit A.
Leposky, Joseph
Lette, Roy
Lewis, Claude
Locker, Lyman
Louis, Sam
Luckjohn, Edward A.
Ludwig, William L
Lundy, John W.
Lykowski, Edward
Maurer, Floyd R.
McConnell, Okey
Mcintosh, Asa
McKee, Vincent F.
McLaughlin, Dwight E.
McNulty, John H.
Mercker, Henry F.
Miller, Albert C.
Mezivitz, David
Mitchell, Frank C.
' Mitchell, Simon C.

Mooradlan, Peter
Moore, Ludlow C.
Morgan, Frank C.
Morrison, Joe L.
Moulin, Raymond E.
Neeley, Clifford
Newton, Wilgus F.
Nichols, Jay
Norrington, James H.
Nulty, James
Oason, Oscar H.
O'Brien, Walter A.
Olcott, Conant B.
Olson, Albert
Orr, John
Parcell, Hamer L.
Parks, Ralph R.
Parry, Thomas C.
Paskell, Arthur W.
Paulus, Leo M.
Peery, James W.
Perkins, James A.
Perl, Harry W.
Perry, Clark
Piper, Hugo E.
Piper, Walter E.
Potts, Richard C.
Prelipp, Albert C. H.
Prose, Omer L.
Prosser, Charles
Puckett, Ora N.
Raberding, Arthur H.
Reich, Meyer
Reindl, Edward C.
Reinier, William A.
Reithmiller, Ross A.

326

APPENDIX

Roadwiler, Edward
Rose, Burl W.
Royse, Sim
Rozanski, Joseph J.
Ruppel, Clemence G.
Rutter, Asa E.
Sarhal, Elik
Savich, Michael
Schlegel, Jacob J.
Schmidt, Frank E.
Schooley, Verney F.
Schubert, Ivan
Schurick, William
Schwartz, Edward A.
Seymore, Cliflford O.
Shaffer, Warren T.
Sharpe, John W.
Shelton, James C.
Shock, Orbin D.
Shondel, John R.
Sidle, Surrell F.
Simons, Charles F.
Simpson, Charles
Slagle, Claud W.
Snekeker, John ■
Snyder, Lewis R.
Snyder, Roy
Sobul, Benjamin
Speakman, James
Spiegel, Harold C.

Steinhauser, Frank A.
Stephani, Warner J.
Stephani, William J. H.
Stephenson, William, Jr.
Stillion, Clarence
Stout, Gerald M.
Strempel, Fred G.
Summers, Walter D.
Sunagel, Edward J.
Suriano, Luigi
Thompson, William W.
Till, Eugene H.
Triplett, Charles C.
Truax, John G.
Turner, Francis G.
Tussey, Samuel H.
Uleman, Herman S.
Valant, Vincent
Visata, Joseph E.
Walsh, Patrick J.
Walter, Everett L.
Walter, Judson
Walton, Webster B.
Wheatherall, James L.
Willard, Raymond C.
Wolfe, Harry J.
Yarger, Ernest C.
Young, Arthur W.
Young, Elmer E.
Zeese, Elmer A.

H 46-79

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